Went to the early bird show in Bloomsburg Pa last week end and got a paper from the game dept about the decline of muskrats. Lots of blah blah and at the end is this statement. " If this species is declining when the water quality is otherwise improving and other aquatic animals such as the otter are rebounding, then what are we missing?" Do they think that otter only eat fish? They are a predator of the muskrats in a big way. It seems to most of us that an increase in predators to the extent that otters have come back would have a drastic effect on the prey species. Otters have not come back by 20 or 30 percent they have com back by 300 or 400 percent. And so have hawks and eagles and owls. the poor rat has no chance. And the clean water act might have decreased the vegetation along the creeks too, less food and less cover. Drought also hit the rats hard, making their dens above water. Just my rambling I guess, they are all highly trained professional and know more than us......jk

Then what are we missing? Ask someone who has rats….

Have the same decline in muskrats here. I think its a combination of things. Increase in otter and mink. increase in predatory birds. tons of racoons as well. I see where otters rip apart muskrat homes (which are far and few between now.). as well as small mink holes in a frozen grass home. I have also noticed in my area which is tidal water that most of the runs now are very deep. About thigh high at low tide. I am guessing the rats that build houses or have upper bank homes are being killed and the ones who are deep are surviving and passing on that trait?

But that wouldn't explain the small creeks in the farms that no longer have muskrats. or local ponds. From what I hear it has to do with herbicides. Or the lack of vegetation like you say. But who knows. maybe its something else. the rats are reproducing as I catch a lot more kits and small during the winter than I ever caught 25 years ago. I had one day I caught 35. Half were small or kits??? not sue why.

There are multiple isssues of which to me the loss of 50% of our wetlands over 200 years would be the larger issue. All of the predators listed above can live without a year round wetland. Rats can not. Even beaver can create a wetland for themselves. How many more predators we have is a question. Makes sense that with 50% of the wetlands gone and rats being easy prey that the predators can more easily concentrate to where the rats are and leave when they are gone. The size of a wetland area is a significant factor as well. Small areas are more easily preyed on by predators. Rivers and streams are literaly miles of edge which predators can hunt quickly and easily.
In the area I have trapped for nearly 40 years I have seen rat numbers rise and fall dramatically due to summer droughts and or spring floods as I trap several small, shallow sloughs and several miles of smaller rivers. The trend has been down in general due mostly to overall habitat loss in my area.
Bryce

For years and forever many states have held good Otter populations and still had muskrats. My muskrats were missing way before the Otter boom- but....Bobcat, Fisher, Coyotes Hawks, Eagles had a good foothold in at that time. One thing I noticed is maybe 2-3 stops out of 10 will have a bit of a population then nothing next year. Then another spot that didnt have any for years has some. Use to be the entire creek had them like that. I just cant figure it out.