Developing a recipe for success: commentary on Seaman et al. (2021) “Eating invasives: chefs as an avenue to control through consumption”

ABSTRACT

Can consumption of nonnative invasive species (NIS) contribute to their management and eradication? A recent publication by in Food, Culture & Society aimed to bring chefs and other non-academic and academic stakeholders to the table to discuss this topic. We applaud this effort, and, based on our backgrounds researching and discussing this topic among ecologists and natural resources managers, we feel several additional key points from the existing discourse should be served to new audiences. First, Seaman et al. suggest a lack of research on harvest-based NIS management, overlooking several contributions that we expand upon. Second, emphasis should be placed on coupling the reduction of negative consequences of NIS and their consumption to avoid “backfire” situations where eager harvesters inadvertently spread their invasive targets or consumer demand contributes to NIS spread rather than control. Finally, the growing number of participants in the discussion increases the need – and opportunity – for thoughtful partnerships between academics, managers, and the culinary “cultural gatekeepers” identified by Seaman et al. to maximize the effectiveness while minimizing unintentional consequences. We expand on these points in the hopes of continuing the conversation and working together to find effective – and delectable – methods for NIS management.

KEYWORDS:

• gastronomy
• harvest
• invasive species
• invasivore
• invasivory
• management

Acknowledgments

The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Rodolfo Jaffé, Jackie Lee, and Charles Menzie provided comments that improved an earlier draft of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.