(My emphases added.)<\/p>\n
\u201cHumans are the most ubiquitous predators on earth,\u201d said Philip Kramer, director of the Caribbean program for the Nature Conservancy. \u201cInstead of eating something like shark fin soup, why not eat a species that is causing harm, and with your meal make a positive contribution?\u201d<\/p>\n
Invasive species have become a vexing problem in the United States, with population explosions of Asian carp clogging the Mississippi River and European green crabs mobbing the coasts. With few natural predators in North America, such fast-breeding species have thrived in American waters, eating native creatures and out-competing them for food and habitats.<\/p>\n
While most invasive species are not commonly regarded as edible food, that is mostly a matter of marketing, experts say. <\/strong>Imagine menus where Asian carp substitutes for the threatened Chilean sea bass, or lionfish replaces grouper, which is overfished.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think there could be a real market,\u201d said Wenonah Hauter, the executive director of Food and Water Watch, whose 2011 Smart Seafood Guide recommends for the first time that diners seek out invasive species as a \u201csafer, more sustainable\u201d alternative to their more dwindling relatives, to encourage fisherman and markets to provide them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat these species need now is a better \u2014 sexier \u2014 profile, <\/strong>and more cooks who know how to use them,\u201d she said. She has enlisted celebrity chefs to promote eating the creatures.Scientists emphasize that human consumption is only part of what is needed to control invasive species and restore native fish populations, and that a comprehensive plan must include restoring fish predators to depleted habitats and erecting physical barriers to prevent further dissemination of the invaders.<\/p>\n