Protect the environment: Eat these animals!
When the ‘marine invasion’ started, the U.S. was taken by surprise -- and overrun.
Today, the lionfish enjoys virtually unrivaled supremacy along the American East Coast to the Caribbean. The distinctively striped interloper from the Pacific has few predators willing to face its venomous spines, and a devastating appetite.
A lionfish hunting glassfish
Lionfish can reduce native species populations by 90% within weeks of arrival, decimating many useful species such as fish that feed on coral-damaging algae. They consume enough to become obese, and even resort to cannibalism.
The red lionfish is the most abundant species of the invasive lionfish population in the Atlantic and Caribbean
While these rapidly-spreading and voracious predators are leaving conservationists with an uphill struggle to contain their numbers and preserve threatened ecosystems, in Florida, where lionfish have massively disrupted the fishing industry, locals are fighting back - by eating them!
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The common lionfish, another invasive species found along America’s East Coast and Caribbean
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has led a campaign in Florida to put lionfish on menus, encouraging fishermen and traders to participate. Environmental group Reef organizes lionfish derbies to catch as many as possible, and has even released a lionfish recipe book.
A dish that features whole fried invasive lionfish at Fish Fish of Miami, Florida
In addition, dozens of local restaurants have begun serving the new arrival in the form of ceviche and sushi among other dishes, although demand has yet to match supply.
Feral swine are an invasive species in the U.S. and are a cross between feral domestic swine introduced by Spanish explorers in the 1500s and the Eurasian boar. Feral swine are found in at least 35 states and cause approximately $1.5 billion in damages and control costs in the U.S. each year.
Conservation biologist Joe Roman believes this approach can make a difference. Since 2003, Roman has helped to pioneer the "invasivore" movement through his popular website 'Eat the invaders,' offering information and recipes to help offset the disastrous impact of invasive species. Roman does not believe that eating alone can solve the problem, but sees it as a valuable -- and enjoyable -- access point.
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A Burmese python captured in the Everglades National Park, where the invasive snakes have established a large breeding population
From feral pigs rampaging across Texas, to the Burmese Python making itself at home in Florida, invasive species cost the U.S. over $120 billion a year in damage, wiping out local species and destroying ecosystems.
(All images - credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licence)
