Invasive species can wreak havoc on an entire ecosystem. To combat these problematic species, public officials are increasingly urging people to employ a simple method of population control: eating them.
The movement to eat more invasive species has grown so much that it now has a name. "Invasivorism" is defined by an organization called Eating for the Ecosystem – Applied Research and Education as a "focus on consuming invasive species in order to control those populations and thus eventually restore ecosystem balance."
In Oregon, an annual event allowed local chefs to show off their culinary "invasivore" skills, Oregon Live reported in August.
The Invasive Species Cook-off, organized by the Institute for Applied Ecology, saw chefs present dishes featuring invasive plants such as Himalayan blackberry, garlic mustard, Japanese knotweed, mint, dandelion, nettles, kudzu, and Queen Anne's Lace. They also served invasive animals, including nutria, American bullfrogs, purple varnish clams, starlings, wild boar, crawfish, Asian carp, and wild turkey.
Although you apparently had to be there in person to find out which dish won this year (no public reporting on the event appears to exist on the internet) past winners have included dishes such as ground possum and starling pate-stuffed nutria, Canada thistle and dandelion quiche, and wild boar chicharrones.
Oregon is not the only place with invasive species, of course — every state has its own invasive plants and animals. They provide something akin to a local delicacy for diners (or foragers, fishers, hunters, etc.) hoping to do their part to help keep the local ecosystem healthy.
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In the Mississippi River Basin, officials encourage residents to eat more Asian carp, which have taken over local waterways.
In Maryland, residents are encouraged to eat more blue catfish and northern snakeheads (which they are trying to rebrand as Chesapeake channa).
On both coasts, people are being told to eat more European green crabs, which have few natural predators and destroy seagrass at an alarming rate.
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