The Earth is in the middle of a mass extinction, according to some scientists, and one of its leading causes is environmental damage by invasive species.
Dr Joe Roman is a conservation biologist who is concerned about the impact of invasive species, not just in his backyard but across the country and around the world.
And he’s come up with a simple solution that will likely turn a few stomachs: Eat them.
Many high-end restaurants have picked up on the movement to eat locally grown foods – and Dr Roman, a research affiliate at the university of Vermont, told DailyMail.com his strategy is basically the same thing.
He’s even come up with recipes for anyone who wants to follow his lead and indulge in invasive delicacies. DailyMail.com spoke with Dr Roman about these plants and animals and some of his favorite ways to eat them.
The European green crab is invasive to the east and west coasts of the United States and Canada, where it depletes local sea grasses and outcompetes local crabs. Dr Joe Roman recommends frying them whole, just after they molt when their shells are soft
The European periwinkle is a species of coastal snail that can be eaten like escargot. Dr Joe Roman recommends sautéing them with olive oil, herbs, and some red wine vinegar
DailyMail.com: For anyone who doesn’t know, what does it mean for a plant or animal to be considered invasive?
Joe Roman: The first part is that they’re non-native. We’re not just talking about a local species that becomes abundant. Here in the US, an example is the European green crab.
And then in Europe, you have the blue crab, which is native to America. They’re switching places, and they’re causing problems.
And that’s the second part about being invasive: They become so abundant they have an ecological impact.
DM: Why do they matter? What does that impact actually look like?
JR: On island systems in the Pacific, carnivorous snails were introduced to control pests in agriculture, but then they ended up eating all the local land snails to extinction. So there are no native snails on some of these islands. The only ones remaining are in captivity.
Some invasive species, like the European green crab, can have an impact on local species by changing their environment.
Around here in New England, I don’t even have to see the crabs, I just see the sea grasses have declined and a lot of native species were not around, and I knew [the crabs] were there in the intertidal zone.
DM: What are some of the features that can make a non-native species become invasive?
JR: Invasive species are often generalists, meaning they thrive in multiple different habitats. Local species might be adapted to this particular marsh area, or this particular mountain slope.
But then these generalists come in and they’re like, ‘We can do this!’ And they just take over.
The other factor is that often invasive species have high reproductive rates. Many fish populations, for example, can have thousands of offspring that travel long distances.
Feral hogs destroy vegetation in Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, and other US states by trampling, eating, and wallowing everywhere they go. They breed quickly, they’re aggressive, and they taste so good that Dr Joe Roman was temporarily put off supermarket pork after tasting their chops
Garlic mustard came from Europe and Asia, and has spread through the northern United States. It crowds out other plants, and it can be hard to get rid of because its roots release chemicals that stunt other plants’ growth. But it can add spice to dips, or salads
DM: What made you think it would be a good idea to address invasive species by eating them?
JR: When I was looking at how the European green crab got to North America, I was looking for them from Massachusetts all the way up to Nova Scotia. And while I was collecting at one point, I noticed there was someone else who was flipping rocks looking for something.
Conservation biologist Joe Roman spent much of his career warning about the dangers of over-harvesting seafood. Now he encourages people to eat invasive species to their heart’s content
Turns out, he was looking for another invasive species: the European periwinkle.
It is not consumed here in the United States very often, but he was selling it to Chinese and Italian markets, where it is popular.
That gave me an idea. As a conservation biologist, most of my career I’ve spent trying to convince people not to consume too much.
But here was a case with these invasive snails and invasive crabs where actually it’s a good idea to take them out.
I partnered with some other biologists and some chefs, and we put forward this idea around 2004.
Initially, the response was… crickets. People thought it was kind of funny, but you know, not really practical.
But the term ‘locavore’ [a person who eats food grown or produced within 100 miles from their home] didn’t even exist then. Once restaurants and the public started to connect it to eating locally, though, knowing where your ingredients come from, it started to take off.
You had people who wanted to know where their food came from, they wanted to be ecologically sustainable, and they wanted it to be tasty. An invasive organism at its best hits all three of those.
The lionfish is invasive to the waters of the Gulf Coast and the southeastern Atlantic coast of the US. It has a firm white flesh that many people find delicious, but you must remove the venomous spikes before consuming
Japanese knotweed is invasive and delicious, said conservation biologist Joe Roman, but it is extremely difficult to completely remove its extensive root systems from the environment
DM: Are there some species that make better candidates from a conservation perspective?
JR: Absolutely. If you take one fish, it actually is going to result in reducing the number of those who can have an ecological impact.
When we focus on harvesting fish, the populations decline. So lionfish, the European Green crab, I mentioned periwinkles, all good candidates.
They’re tasty and they’re easy. They’re easy to prepare, they’re relatively easy to harvest, and they’re going to have an ecological impact
Japanese knotweed, too, which is widespread both in Europe and the United States. It is hard to eradicate, and it’s actually pretty tasty. But if you want to eat it and get rid of the root system, you’ve got to be determined.
Zebra mussels, native to Russia and Ukraine, invaded the Atlantic coast of the US after coming in by international ships. Dr Roman says they aren’t good to eat, though, because they are small, they’re not that tasty, and they are often contaminated from being filter feeders in contaminated areas
The blue crab is native to the United States, but it has become an invasive species in Europe, where it hitched a ride on ships
DM: What are some of your favorites?
JR: Lionfish is one. It came in the 1980s to Florida and is now found from North Carolina down to Brazil. It’s got a firm white meat, it’s tasty, and it’s easy to prepare.
They do have venomous spines, so you have to be careful when you’re preparing it, and you’re going to catch them via spear fishing.
If you are going to feast on a lionfish just be sure to remove the spines before consuming.
The European periwinkles and green crabs, too, have been consumed for a long time in Europe. I like simple preparations if I’m going to do it myself.
I’m not a chef, I’m a biologist.
Softshell European green crabs are delicious, just like blue crabs are, especially if you collect them and eat them in the same day.
I’ve also had feral hog. It was rich, it was moist. It really put me off regular supermarket pork for a long time because that felt like cardboard by comparison.
Another invasive species is the Nutria, which is native to Argentina and arrived in the US during the early 20th-century fur trade.
The rodent can be found in Maryland and California, but Louisiana has the largest population.
The herbivores damage crops, leading Louisiana to offer bounties for the- about $6 is paid out for each Nutria caught.
And the most popular way to eat the animal appears to be as a fricassee.
Another invasive species is the Asian carp found in Missisippi, which has a cod flaor.
It came to the US from Asia in the 1970s and have since boomed in population – boaters have been injured by the fishing jumping from the water.
DM: What advice do you have for people who want to start trying to eat invasive species?
JR: One is to start easy with local plants. We have a website called Eat the Invaders, which can help you identify where the invasive species are.
The US Geological Survey also has a website, a little less easy to use, but it’s fabulous. And then my favorite new database is iNaturalist, which is easy to use and tells you when different plants are in season.
And then best of all, look around at what local chefs are serving because they’re going to give you an idea of whether you like it and how you might like it.
One last tip: If you’re going out collecting make sure that you know there haven’t been herbicides or pesticides. I’m not encouraging people to go out in areas that are polluted and harvest.
