[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/EW-11-07-13-Eat-the-Invaders.mp3|titles=EW 11-07-13 Eat the Invaders]
When it comes to seafood, sustainability is a hot topic – around the world, fisheries are over-exploited and popular commercial fish populations are struggling to survive. At the same time, invasive species such as Asian carp are wreaking havoc on ecosystems and further threatening indigenous marine life.
But a sushi chef in New Haven, Connecticut may have come up with the ultimate in sustainability: eating the invaders.
At his restaurant, Miya’s Sushi, Chef Bun Lai has passed over typical sushi favorites for a menu centered on invasive species. In a recent interview with nature.org, he describes how this may lessen the presence of invaders in our oceans while alleviating stress on over-exploited species.
Threatened species like the freshwater eel won’t be found on Lai’s menu. Instead, he crafts dishes based on what is plentiful and available; one of his most prized ingredients is the Asian shore crab.
Other invaders on the menu include lionfish, warty comb jelly fish, and Japanese knotweed. But the invasive species menu is not limited to seafood. Other offerings include feral hogs and rabbits, both of which are known to be ecologically destructive. Miya’s Sushi also has an extensive menu of creative vegetarian rolls, to further reduce stress on oceans.
Adding invasive species to restaurant menus certainly won’t solve the problem of overfishing, but it’s another positive step toward sustainability – and new culinary creations.
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Web Links
Chef Bun Lai: Battling Invasive Species…One Roll at a Time
Answer for Invasive Species: Put It on a Plate and Eat It
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/science/earth/10fish.html
Miya’s Sushi
Smoked python, lionfish gazpacho on menu at invasive-species dinner
Photo, taken on January 16, 2010, courtesy of Tim Wang via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.