Located at the western end of Vermilion Parish is the duck capital of the world, Guyedan.

The area was well known by the Attakapas and Chitimacha native Americans for the abundance of wildlife. Though it was described as "sea marsh, unfit for cultivation" it is now known for the rice crop it produces.

In 1940 a major flood of the Mermantau River flooded the entire area, as well as flooding from the Mississippi and Atchafalaya turned most of southwest Louisiana into a huge lake.