From the category archives:

Field Notes

Eat the Invaders on New Hampshire Public Radio

May 17, 2016

Outside/In Radio cooks up nutria and periwinkles.

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Eating Invasives in Canada

May 10, 2016

In Canada, the European green crab and Asian crab have been threatening shellfish stocks on the Atlantic coast, while farmers in Alberta and Saskatchewan are constantly battling wild boars. If we can’t beat them, can we eat them? Read more at CBCNews.

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Nonnative Striped Bass Could Lose Protections in CA

April 21, 2016

Striped bass aren’t native to California, and they forage on juvenile salmon. Should goals to increase their population be rescinded? There’s no conservation need to protect nonnative fish in the area, but is the agenda to reduce water flow to rivers and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta? Read more here

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Parrots in US cities could rival those in native Mexico

April 4, 2016

It’s complicated. Mexico’s red-crowned parrots are thriving in cities from Los Angeles to Brownsville, Texas, while in the tropics and subtropics, a third of all parrot species are at risk of going extinct because of habitat loss and the pet trade. Could the city dwellers help save the species from extinction? Read more here.

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Eating Invaders

April 3, 2016

The unconventional sushi options at Miya’s in New Haven are not merely on the menu for shock effect. The fish involved are invasive species: threats to the environment from which they were caught. Anna Lipin reports on eating invaders for MAD.

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Innovative Solutions Wanted

March 5, 2016

Experts and the public will watch fifteen teams of university and college students propose solutions to address the threat of Asian carps to the Great Lakes on March 5, 2016 at the University of Toronto Scarborough. The Asian Carp Innovative Solutions Competition offers student teams a chance to win $5,000 in prizes. Read more about […]

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National Invasive Species Awareness Week

February 4, 2016

Save the date. National Invasive Species Awareness Week is coming up, February 21-27, 2016. See the map for an event near you.

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Protect the environment: Eat these animals!

December 2, 2015

Keiron Monks reports on Eat the Invaders on CNN.

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When Conservation Means Killing

September 29, 2015

Herbicides and insecticides are key tools in managing invasive species — but managers are working to find more environmentally friendly substitutes. Read more about it here. And remember that prevention is the best practice: “I try to get the message out to staff, scientists or anyone . . . to make sure they’re not tracking […]

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8 Invasive Species You Should Be Eating

July 16, 2015

If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em. Foragers turn to eating invasive species as a means of control. Lisa Munniksma reports on eating invasive species in hobbyfarms.com.

Full article

Land

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Wild Pig

Did the domestic ancestors of today’s feral pigs streak off De Soto’s ship into the Florida scrub of their own accord in 1539? Or did they have to be urged to go find something to eat? All you need to…


EAT ME!
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Garden Snail

Deliberately or accidentally, by the movement of plants and by hobbyists who collect snails, humans have spread the garden snail to temperate and subtropical zones around the world.


EAT ME!
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Garlic Mustard

  Alliaria petiolata Native range: Europe, Asia, Northwest Africa Invasive range: Much of the Lower 48, Alaska, and Canada. (See map.) Habitat: Moist, shaded soil of floodplains, forests, roadsides, edges of woods, and forest openings. Often dominant in disturbed areas. Description: Biennial herb. First-year plant has a rosette of green leaves close to the ground. […]


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Prickly Pear

Fall is here, and the “cactus fig” is in season. Time to plate-up another widespread invader.


EAT ME!
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Sow Thistle

It’s spring and time to weed. Sow thistle is a delicious invader found throughout the continent.


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Sea

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Asian Shore Crab

The first sighting of the Asian shore crab in the United States was at Townsend Inlet, Cape May County, New Jersey, in 1988. Though the source is unknown . . .


EAT ME!
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Periwinkle

The common periwinkle, which first appeared in New England in the 1860s, is now found along the coast wherever there’s hard substrate–rocks, riprap, broken concrete, or docks–from Labrador to . . .


EAT ME!
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Lionfish

Some say it started in 1992 in Miami when Hurricane Andrew smashed an aquarium tank. Don’t blame the weather, others say; in the mid-nineties, disappointed yet softhearted hobbyists…


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Wakame

  Undaria pinnatifida Native range: Japan Sea Invasive range: Southern California, San Francisco Bay, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, Argentina Habitat: Opportunistic seaweed, can be found on hard substrates including rocky reefs, pylons, buoys, boat hulls, and abalone and bivalve shells. Description: Golden brown seaweed, growing up to nine feet. Forms thick canopy. Reproductive sporophyll in […]


EAT ME!
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Green Crab

Since the green crab was first recorded off southern Massachusetts in 1817, it has been hard to ignore. A few minutes of rock-flipping in Maine can turn up dozens of them, brandishing their claws as they retreat…


EAT ME!

Fresh

Armored Catfish Meatballs (1)

Armored Catfish

The armored catfish is abundant and destructive in Florida, Texas, and Mexico. Cast your nets for these flavorful natives of the Amazon. Scientific name: Two types have become established in North America: armadillo del rio, Hypostomus plecostomus, and sailfin catfishes in genus Pterygoplichthys Native range: Amazon River Basin Invasive range: Texas, Florida, and Hawaii; also […]


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Common Carp

For a bottom-feeder, what is the good life? The common carp isn’t very demanding: any body of water that’s sluggish and murky will do. If the water is clean, and you’ve got corn for bait, try one of these recipes.


EAT ME!
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Watercress

  Nasturtium officianale Native Range: Northern Africa, Europe, temperate Asia, and India Invasive Range: In USA: all lower 48 states, except North Dakota. Found in Alaska, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Also southern Canada, Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, Australasia, and parts of tropical Asia. Habitat: Common along stream margins, ditches, and other areas with […]


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Crayfish

  There are numerous invasive crayfish. We include details for the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) and the rusty crayfish (Orenectes rusticus). The same recipes can be used for both species–and many other invasive crayfish. Red Swamp Crayfish Native range: Known as Louisiana crayfish, crawdad, and mudbug, Procambarus clarkii is native to the south central […]


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Nutria

Nutria, also known as coypu and river rat, is native to temperate and subtropical South America. It has been introduced to Europe, Asia, and Africa, mainly for fur farming. These voracious. . .


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Field Notes

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Can We Eliminate Invasive Species by Eating Them?

On restaurant menus across New England, green crabs are showing up in everything from bouillabaisse and bisques to croquettes and crudo. Read about it in Salon.


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Radio Health Journal

Can adding invasives to your diet help the environment and your health? Listen to Radio Health Journal here.


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Qui veut manger des espèces invasives ?

Joe Roman chats with Camille Crosnier about eating invasives on France Inter. Listen here. In French.


EAT ME!
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Berlin’s Invasive Species Cuisine

A Berlin food truck is opening people’s minds and mouths by feeding them a menu of invasive species with the slogan, “If you can’t beat them, eat them!” Read more about it in the Good News Network.


EAT ME!
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Rack of Squirrel, Anyone?

Patrick Greenfield discusses the rise of invasivorism in the Guardian. Read it here.


EAT ME!

“We are showing others how to harvest in nature, because the things you find there taste better. . . . Try one of those blueberries, then a stupid one grown in a greenhouse. Your reference point for what a blueberry tastes like has changed forever.”

René Redzepi, owner of Copenhagen’s Noma, twice named best restaurant in the world