Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Book Revew: Eating Aliens

This week's discovery that sea lampreys were imported from the Great Lakes and baked into a pie that was presented to the Queen of England on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee made us recall a recent addition to our library's collection.  Eating Aliens: One Man's Adventures Hunting Invasive Animal Species details the unique approach its author takes to the problem of invasives, he eats them.  Author Jackson Landers researches and hunts these animals, cooks and consumes them, and shares all the details.  Some of the animals he samples include Black Spiny-Tailed Iguanas, European Green Crabs, Lionfish, and even our local foe, the Asian Carp. 

Ultimately one might conclude that we humans might be the greatest "invasive species" on earth for our large-scale impact on other species, so it prompts the question:
"Can this human ability to harvest wild food in dangerously efficient ways be harnessed for good ecological cause? ...If invasive species such as starlings and Asian carp were rediscovered as desirable food sources, we would clear our sky and water of them, just as surely as we've wiped out so many native plants and animals." (from Introduction, page 3)
Check out our Water Research Guide on the topic of "Aquatic Invasive Species" here.

If you are a Wisconsin resident and would like to check out this or any other book, please fill out our book request form. If you are a UW student, faculty or staff, please request books through the Library Catalog.