Number of muskrats in our region remains stable

Challenge balancing lake Onlanden

The 490 animals we have caught means that we, as water authority , are making water authority progress in reducing the muskrat population. The population is now so small that it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the sharp decline of recent years. New techniques such as the use of eDNA are helping us to find the last remaining specimens. By taking water samples and analyzing them for the presence of muskrat DNA, we can target our trapping efforts more effectively. The biggest challenge for the coming years is the balancing lake Onlanden nature reserve and balancing lake , where the population is currently still the largest.

Why do we trap muskrats?

Water authorities combat muskrats because the animals dig burrows and tunnels in dykes embankments. They also build nesting chambers with extensive underground tunnel systems. This can cause dykes embankments to subside. In the worst case, a dyke embankment can break and flood a polder.

Invasive species

In addition, these animals eat a lot of plants, such as reeds. This leaves less reeds for birds, small aquatic animals, and fish, which use the reeds as food and shelter. Muskrats are therefore on the European list of invasive species. Their presence affects biodiversity.

They do not occur naturally in the Netherlands. They settled there as a result of human activity. As a result, muskrats have hardly any natural enemies. The goal of the 21 water authorities is to have no muskrat population left in the Netherlands by 2034.

More muskrats in the Netherlands

Nationwide, the number of muskrats caught increased significantly. In 2025, there were 84,438 throughout the Netherlands. The pest pressure was particularly high in the west of the country. 8,464 animals were caught in the northeast of the Netherlands by the Hunze & Aa’s, Drents Overijsselse Delta, Vechtstromen, and Noorderzijlvest water authorities. 80% were caught near the border with Germany. Muskrats swim into our country via rivers and streams.

As in previous years, we also caught a few coypu in 2025. Coypu are also on the list of invasive species. The number of coypu has been increasing since 2023.

Muskrat numbers in the northeast of the Netherlands