Devouring the Problem

There are all sorts of ways to deal with invasive species—both flora and fauna—and not all of them are successful; sometimes the solution is worse than the original problem.

Two items in the news this week highlight one way of dealing with an unwanted species: just eat it. In Pennsylvania’s Salisbury Township, invasive Japanese knotweed, an ornamental plant brought to this country more than a century ago, is growing in a stormwater basin. Seeking a solution other than herbicide, the town has employed a trio of goats to eat their way across the 60- by 30-foot basin. Once the plants are cleared, workers will pull up the roots and the basin will be replanted with native species.

And in Colombia, MO, a benefit concert will be held at a local brewery next week to raise funds for an organization that’s trying to reduce the number of invasive Asian carp in the state’s waterways. The Concert Against Rogue Piscines (CARP) will include several local musicians and a buffet with, of course, dishes featuring Asian carp. Proceeds will benefit an organization called Eat Mo Carp, which has launched a market-based effort to curb fish populations by introducing the carp to local restaurants and grocery stores.

“By eating Asian carp, people can benefit our ecosystem and rural economies, while enjoying a low-fat source of protein that’s affordably priced,” says Mark Morgan, Eat Mo Carp project leader and MU associate professor in the School of Natural Resources.

Asian carp were brought to the US in large numbers in the 1970s and used to clean up algae in fish farms in Arkansas. They thrived and spread, and are now threatening ecosystems and fisheries around the Great Lakes.