It’s probably not an event that most people mark on their calendars, but February 24th to 28th was National Invasive Species Awareness Week. If you’re looking for a way to belatedly mark the occasion, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a suggestion: eat a nutria.
Though you’re highly unlikely to see them listed on a restaurant menu, you might have witnessed the damage this invasive species can cause to wetland habitats. Nutria, also known as coypu, are native to South America. They were originally brought to the United States for their fur in the late 1800s, but by the 1940s many had escaped or were simply released. In the wild, their population grew rapidly, and they are now found in many parts of the country, including the Atlantic Coast, Gulf Coast, California, and the Pacific Northwest.
Nutria are known for their voracious appetites for wetland vegetation. They eat around 25% of their body weight daily and feed year-round. When the large, orange-toothed rodents start grazing in an area, they destroy the surface vegetation, exposing fragile soil underneath that is highly vulnerable to erosion and potentially destroying important habitats. For example, before Louisiana introduced the Coastwide Nutria Control Program in 2002, which has been successful in limiting nutria-related destruction of the state’s marshes, the rodents were thought to have damaged over 100,000 acres every year.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service posted a tongue-in-cheek slogan on its social media: “Save a Swamp, Sauté a Nutria” and suggested that people check their local regulations for hunting, capturing, and cooking them. Nutria meat is lean and full of protein, and many have compared it to rabbit or turkey dark meat. The federal agency also offered a recipe for ‘Smoked Nutria and Andouille Sausage Gumbo.’
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service also directed people to a page called “Eat the Invaders,” with a list of other invasive species that people can eat and become “ecosystem heroes.”
Delicious invaders:
- Native to East Asia, the northern snakehead is another invasive species that has found its way into many U.S. waterways in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The Fish and Wildlife Service recommends grilling or frying them to make fish tacos.
- Green iguanas, which came from Central and South America and are now widespread in warm U.S. states, especially Florida, have been nicknamed the “chicken of the trees.” To protect native plants from their appetites, the Fish & Wildlife Service recommends turning them into iguana stew.
- Wild boar are native to Europe and Asia but are now found in many parts of the United States, including the Southeast, Texas, and California. They are highly destructive, trampling and devouring forest and wetland ecosystems and destroying farmland. Wild boar is a lean, tasty, versatile meat that can be used in dishes including chili, burgers, or barbecue.
