From the category archives:

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Snails with a Side of Knotweed, Anyone? Biologist Wants You to Eat Invasive Animals and Plants

July 21, 2024

Read about it in the Daily Mail.

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“If you can’t beat them, eat them.” Why foraging for invasive plants is good for you 

July 7, 2024

“We’re not trying to make it sustainable. The goal is eradication.” Read about eating invasives in the Boston Globe.

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Chef Serves Gourmet Meals with Unexpected Invasive Ingredients

June 4, 2024

“It suddenly occurred to me that we could flip the script and find a way to consume animals and plants where it is actually beneficial for the environment.” Read about it in The Cool Down

Full article

Can We Eliminate Invasive Species by Eating Them?

July 30, 2023

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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Welcome to Invasivorism

December 9, 2021

Turning invasive species into gourmet meals could blunt environmental and economic costs across the US. But can Americans stomach them? Chefs and biologists are taking a gamble. Read more in the Popular Science.

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Scituate Periwinkles with Hard Cider and Dulse

December 2, 2016

Loyal Nine in Cambridge, Massachusetts, focuses on new England cuisine. Though periwinkles have only been in Massachusetts since the nineteenth century, chef Marc Sheehan shows how these snails could become a tasty addition to locally sourced seafood. The recipe below is for the dedicated cook. Periwinkles 3 cups periwinkles Rinse periwinkles in cold water until […]

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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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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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Pressure Builds for Swift U.S. Action Against Spreading Salamander Threat

May 19, 2015

There are signs of hope for American salamanders in the face of a potential biological catastrophe — a fungus that could be carried here through the global trade in exotic pets. The tool for protecting native salamanders is the Lacey Act, which was recently used to limit trade in various constricting snakes and has been […]

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Land

Wild_boar

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…


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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.


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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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nopales con huevo

Prickly Pear

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


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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 . . .


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Periwinkles

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 . . .


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Pterois volitans

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 […]


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Kleiner_Taschenkrebs_(Carcinus_maenas)

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…


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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.


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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-mugshot

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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“If you can’t beat them, eat them.” Why foraging for invasive plants is good for you 

“We’re not trying to make it sustainable. The goal is eradication.” Read about eating invasives in the Boston Globe.


EAT ME!
Screenshot-2024-06-04-at-8.44.02 AM

Chef Serves Gourmet Meals with Unexpected Invasive Ingredients

“It suddenly occurred to me that we could flip the script and find a way to consume animals and plants where it is actually beneficial for the environment.” Read about it in The Cool Down


EAT ME!
Digital StillCamera

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.


EAT ME!
151118153748-invasive-lionfish

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.


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You have to be clear about [eating invasives]. Extinction is a happy ending.

Bill Walton, Auburn University, in Audubon, 2004