A London restaurant is offering a bizarre "invasive species supper clubs" that covers a menu of dishes made with invasive species.
Invasive Species For Dinner
Chef Douglas McMaster of Silo hopes that the species could be transformed into delectable ingredients. The chef is also hopeful that there would be other restaurants that will follow this path.
McMaster clarifies that the idea behind the invasive species menu is not to popularize and increase the demand, as this may make these species even more invasive. Rather than this, the chef hopes that balance within the ecosystem can be obtained through this. When this is achieved, consuming these invasive species can end.
Plants and animals that are not area-native and that may harm ecosystems are considered invasive species.
Gray squirrels are one of these species, which the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has recognized to be one of the world's worst. These tiny animals were brought to England in 1876, back when the dangers of invasive species were not yet widely recognized.
These creatures have not just spread illnesses to red squirrels but have also competed with the latter for space and food.
Japanese Knotweeds are also invasive species that expel toxins that hamper the growth of other plants. There are also signal crayfish that outcompete other UK-native species by fast breeding and bank damaging.
While these creatures come with problems, chef McMaster thinks that they are all still edible and even tasty.
Criticisms Surface
However, there are scientists that find these plans questionable. They fear that doing so would make the problem worse.
Entomology professor Karim Vahed from the University of Derby explains that eating non-native invasive species is not something he would encourage, adding that if the species are seen as food options, people may introduce them themselves.
Professor Vahed thinks that this is especially applicable for signal crayfish, as these creatures were initially brought in the 1970s for human consumption. Their aggression makes them dangerous to smaller crayfish that are native. The numbers of the latter have plummeted by over 80%. In fact, these smaller native crayfish are also at the brink of extinction.
On the other hand, professor Karen Bacon from the University of Galway thinks that this picture could work for Japanese Knotweed, as the plant is both problematic and edible.
However, it is extremely important to take the risks into account. Professor Bacon notes that precautions need to be taken when nurturing knotweed, given how disturbances can fuel its growth. She stresses that though there is potential, things must be carefully executed.
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