If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em

The Tastiest Enemy: Eating Invasive Species

The idea that if you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em has found new resonance in the battle against one particularly voracious invasive species, the lionfish.

By Enrique Gili
Miller-McCune

Bristling with venomous spines and possessed of a voracious appetite, lionfish have joined a growing list of invasive species infiltrating U.S. land and water. But an unusual partnership of conservationists and cooks argue that some of the best weapons to attack these invaders are the knife and fork.

For species that have proven almost impossible to contain, whether feral boar or creeping kudzu, advocates embrace an “if you can’t beat them, eat them” ethos. Dubbed invasivores, a portmanteau of ‘locavore’ and ‘invasive,’ the catchphrase proudly puts invasive species on the menu.

In a networked world, flora and fauna are on the move. Hitching rides in the belly of container ship or a tourist’s suitcase, or released into wild intentionally (like kudzu) or accidentally (like snakeheads), invasive species are a global problem.

Thus far, the U.S. Geological Survey has identified 6,500 foreign organisms that pose a threat to habitats and wildlife in the United States. Invasives cost the U.S. economy an estimated $132 billion each year, often outpace rare and endangered species in competition for resources and can even harm human health.

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