3. Rear Commodore's Report

Whew--the past year seems to have flown by!  It’s been a fun, sometimes challenging one, adjusting to my new responsibilities and duties as your Rear Commodore.  I appreciate the support and help the membership, the Bridge and the Board has given me.  I also appreciate your continuing confidence by electing me your Vice Commodore for next year and I look forward to our continuing to work together.

As with any new role, there is always a learning curve.  However, if anyone had suggested that as Rear Commodore I’d be learning about nutria I’d have said they’d spent a little too much time at the bar!  Unless you attended the June 11th meeting or have an interest in invasive species, you probably aren’t aware of the danger these furry critters pose.

Nutria are native to South America, have the upper body of a beaver and the tail end of a rat.  They were imported into the United States in the early 20th Century for their fur (by Mr. McIlhenny of Tabasco Sauce fame, among others).  Changing fashion, Mother Nature and other factors led to many nutria escaping into the wild from farms in Louisiana, several east coast states and Oregon, which brings us to our current situation.  Nutria are vegetarians who destroy the root systems of shoreline vegetation.  To give you some idea of their destructive nature, they are believed to be responsible for the destruction of 60% of the shoreline vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  Their vegetarian status notwithstanding, nutria are rodents and, by their nature, chew other things and have been know to nibble on inflatables, wiring or anything else left lying around.

Nutria have been observed in Portage Bay and other areas in Lake Union and Lake Washington.  We have seen them swimming at dusk around the docks.  Some of you may have observed the floating small island of weeds moving around the bay—a result of nutria destroying the root system.  They are a serious threat to our native habitat.

Several weeks ago, Pete DeLaunay organized a meeting of area neighborhoods, the City of Seattle, QCYC, SYC, UW, houseboat association and others to hear a presentation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency tasked with eliminating invasive species of this type.  As a result of that meeting, USDA has prepared a proposal for the eradication of the nutria from the east end of the Montlake Cut through Lake Union.  We will be evaluating that proposal and associated costs, but given the number of governmental and civic agencies and shoreline homeowners involved, the cost to QCYC should be modest.

On a lighter note, my research on nutria revealed that there are some health benefits.  Nutria has ½ the cholesterol and fat of chicken.  There is a Cajun chef in Louisiana who has a recipe for nutria in a mustard sauce which he serves in his restaurant.  In the spirit of cooperation within the boating community, I forwarded the recipe to Seattle Yacht Club’s Commodore for the consideration of their chef.  Bon appetit!

I wish you all a safe and pleasant boating experience this summer wherever your travels take you.

Fair Winds,

Ed Jennerich
Rear Commodore