If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em?

Organisms are transported all over the world for various reasons, and most of the time, it’s no big deal. But a large and growing number of species are getting out of control. All over the world, animals and plants have begun invading: damaging ecosystems, outcompeting native species and spreading disease. What’s the solution? Culls? Chemicals? Well, how about eating them? That’s what eat the invaders and invasivore think. It’s a great suggestion, but before you start googling recipes for asian carp, a word of caution:

Hunting in the UK requires a licence and permission from the land owner. Otherwise you’re poaching which is illegal. To be done humanely, you need to know what you’re doing, and a gun licence isn’t exactly easy to get. 

Fishing requires a licence, permission from the Environment Agency, and permission from the land owner. The government has a handy guide if you fancy catching some signal crayfish, but some conservationists say that this makes things worse- as the fat juicy ones tend to keep populations down by eating the smaller ones.

It’s a bit easier if you stick to eating invasive plants. Japanese knotweed shoots are great in a pie, apparently. And you could always try some wild fennel. Take care though- keep anything you collect well sealed, to avoid spreading it to other areas, and DESTROY anything you don’t eat. Even the tiniest piece of knotweed rhizome can grow into a monster after years of playing dead. And NEVER compost it or throw it in the bin.

Or you could just get someone else to do the hard work- Crayfish Bob pop-up restaurants travel the country or you could ask your local butcher for a squirrel or two? Good in a casserole, I’m told.

Image: By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons