Asian Swamp Eels: Let's Eat Them
The Asian Swamp Eel is an Invasive Species that Threatens Native Wildlife
Native Animals may be Eaten by the Asian Swamp Eel
The Asian Swamp Eel poses a threat to the native wildlife in the US because of its prolific nature and lack of natural predators. Each Asian Swamp Eel female, says the USACE Environmental Lab, can produce a thousand eggs with every spawning. Asian Swamp Eels eat fish, turtle eggs, crayfish, shrimp, insects, and in short, about anything they can catch. The Asian swamp Eel can reach 3-4 feet in length so even medium sized fish can fall prey to these voracious invaders.
Asian Swamp Eels Pose Danger to Wetlands Habitat
The wetlands in which the Asian Swamp Eel makes its home can also be damaged by their presence. The Asian Swamp Eel burrows deeply into the mud and this can cause the water to be absorbed down into the soil especially in times of drought. When the wetlands dry out, even for short drought periods, many species native to that habitat may perish, but not the Asian Swamp Eel. The Asian Swamp Eel can actually travel over land for short distances to find a new wet place to live. Failing that, they can survive for long periods in the dried mud.
Now Serving Asian Swamp Eel
It is though that the Asian swamp Eel was brought in either for the aquarium hobby or as a food source by Asian immigrants. Which brings us to the one real natural predator that could have an impact on the Asian Swamp Eel, man. I have eaten eels on many occasions both in China and in the United States and I can vouch for the fact that they are very tasty. While the Asian Swamp Eel isn't technically an eel at all (it's a fish), I'm not sure that distinction would have been made on the menu, as Asian Swamp Eels is commonly eaten in many parts of Asia. If a few New Jersey Restaurants started serving offering Asian Swamp Eels, or Rice Eels as it is also known, on the menu and paying local citizens to bring them in. That just might take care of the problem.
Sources:
videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2008/09/asian_swamp_eels_in_silver_lak.html
el.erdc.usace.army.mil/ansrp/monopterus_albus.pdf
Published by Brad Sylvester - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
Brad spent 18 years in the consumer electronics industry, including more than ten years in new product development. He now writes full time from his home in the mountains of New Hampshire. View profile
- Are Invasive Species Friends or Foes?This paper will explain how the alien species Kudzu and Eucalyptus came to America. It will also explain the result of those introductions.
- Prevent the Spread of Invasive Species An invasive species is a plant or animal that is not native to an area.
- Invasive Species and How They Harm the EnvironmentInvasive, or exotic, species are those plants or animals that are not native to an ecosystem.
Invasive Plants: Sometimes Beautiful Can Be DeadlyLittle do most homeowners know that some plants are not made for landscaping. Invasive plants spread rapidly and suffocate out any and all plants around them.- Kauai, Hawaii, Cracking Down on Invasive PestsState and local organization partnering to track and reduce populations of invasive insect species on the island of Kauai, Hawaii
- Asian Swamp Eel, Asia's Latest Gift to America
- Asian Swamp Eels Living in NJ Swamp: Should They Be Destroyed or Just Removed?
- Dangerous Snakehead Fish Again Caught in North Carolina
- "Land Lobsters" Making Comeback on Lord Howe Island
- Saving Bees is Taking Major Effort; 30 Percent Lost Each Year
- Travelers Found with Charred Monkey Remains, Rhesus Monkey
- Florida "Giant Killer Snakes" Are Burmese Pythons; Heading North?
- The Asian Swamp Eel has established a population in Silver Lake in new Jersey.
- The Asian Swamp Eel is an invasive species that can cause serious harm to the wetlands habitat.
- In Asia, the Swamp Eel is frequently eaten.
6 Comments
Post a CommentThis fish is delicacy all over Asia, and it's rather more expensive than regular fish.
The fish can be served as stir fry, sweet-and-sour soup, and many other way (by asian people).
Florida and Georgia can eliminate this "invasive" fish easily by allowing it to be sold in Asian supper markets. They do have this fish sold there (dead fish, imported from asia and around $4.00/lb).
=)
I ate them several times when I was in China for a couple of months. Kind of seems like a delicacy over there. I would compare the taste to say Tilapia. It has that slightly gamey taste. Fishier than catfish but not at all a bad flavor. Like many of the foods in china you eat it off of the bone by manuevering it around your teeth and then spitting out the bone. I enjoyed it in a fried rice dish. Would love to eat again, although hard to find.
I knew you'd handle this topic tastefully. (pun intended).
I'd give them a try if they were on the menu :)
Oh, do tell what they taste like other than "tasty"? Can you relate the taste to a different kind of fish? I'd bet, though, that if NJ establishments started serving up these eels that soon they would make it onto the endangered species list. Perhaps a famous chef should introduce them into a restaurant and make them all the rage? Very interesting topic, Brad. I am not a fish eater, though, but would imagine they'd be good for Lenten Fridays!