Invasive species (plants and animals) earn that label because their presence threatens native species in a specific habitat. The snakehead fish is a common example. This species of fish is a predator that endangers the populations of other animals in the sea ecosystem. Another problem with snakehead fish is that they are significant breeders, adding more of their species to sea life faster than people can catch and eat them.
Eating Invasive Species
Eating snakehead fish and other invasive species of animals and plants provides people with a delicious meal. The practice also offers important environmental benefits. Each time someone eats a meal that was once part of an invasive species, it removes at least some of the threat to other plants and animals that live near it.
This post describes several other types of invasive species that people who care about the environment may wish to consider eating.
Asian Tiger Shrimp
Shrimp lovers looking for something new should appreciate a freshly cooked meal of Asian tiger shrimp. Asian tiger shrimp are the same size as lobster and offer just as much flavor. Because of their large size, these types of crustaceans eat smaller types of shrimp in bodies of water across the United States. They also consume many smaller species of shrimp in Australia, where they originate.
Asian tiger shrimp can grow up to 13 inches in size and can easily spread pathogens and viral diseases in the water. This is yet another reason why removing, cleaning, and eating them is so beneficial. Asian tiger shrimp are also simple to fry in a pan.
Garlic Mustard
This plant scatters thousands of seeds after its flowers, which can cause considerable ecological damage. The good news is that removing garlic mustard plants prevents this from happening while also providing leaves that taste similar to horseradish sauce. Stems that bud in the late spring offers an especially flavorful taste combination of broccoli, garlic, and mustard. People who live near these plants need to prepare themselves to pick them during their extremely short growing season.
Peeled Burdock Stems
These stems grow in abundance in early spring and crowd out other plants and flowers trying to grow in the same nearby space. Peeled burdock stems taste especially good when braised or dipped in hummus. When picked and prepared during cold seasons, burdock creates a taproot that tastes like a starchy vegetable. People who buy peeled burdock stems from the grocery store or a farmer’s market should cook them slowly in water and make sure they are moist before eating.
Wild Boar
The wild boar began as a pig species in Europe and has evolved over the years to become intelligent, destructive, and a natural predator. After hunting or buying wild boar meat, people should prepare it just as they would pork. However, the consensus is that the meat of wild boar is much more flavorful and satisfying than pork meat. Removing this aggressive predator from agricultural fields allows smaller and weaker animals to survive.
People are more environmentally conscious today that any other time in history. It only makes sense for them to check to see which types of animals and plants are invasive species when planning their shopping list.
