Save the native fish and eat the rest
video description
Date: 2025-12-23
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 20
aragusea
This, on the surface, sounds like a great idea. But just like conservatories being economic drains, while farmed alligators have regained their old population numbers. targeting the consumption of invasive fish creates economic incentive to make sure that there's invasive fish to consume. Much like rewarding bounties for snakes. it's a lot easier to get that bounty if you capture and breed them than to capture new ones each time.
You can try to make it illegal to do so. but it was illegal to defraud the east india company with their snake bounties. It's still illegal in many areas of africa to poach elephants. And the only places where the population has rebounded was when you make the common person's interests align with keeping up the elephant population.
Let's say your desire goes into effect fully and completely, without humans doing what's in their own personal best interest. What happens when the invasive species population gets to 10%, and is really expensive and hard to catch, so the fish is more expensive. Are people just going to keep funding this increasingly rare and expensive food Will the companies just shrug and go Eh, I guess we got close enough, and shut down, or will they turn into a charity (who, like many others, should be seeking to work themselves out of business. but has that ever really happened Yes, a few times, but they are the exception that proves the rule.
Well, the issue is: incentive alignment. Running things to extinction, intentionally, is almost never aligned with any incentive. except for personal pests. You will pay money to get an exterminator out to your home. You will shoot an elephant who is destroying your crops, and threatening to starve your family. You will probably not care about the 5% remaining population of a fish in a river 7000 miles away.
(Maybe, just maybe, it can work as a side hustle for a conservatory to try and generate income rather than bio waste when doing their normal collections. I won't say that's a bad idea. One just has to always be cognizant of the incentives you create)
reply
This, on the surface, sounds like a great idea. But just like conservatories being economic drains, while farmed alligators have regained their old population numbers. targeting the consumption of invasive fish creates economic incentive to make sure that there's invasive fish to consume. Much like rewarding bounties for snakes. it's a lot easier to get that bounty if you capture and breed them than to capture new ones each time.
You can try to make it illegal to do so. but it was illegal to defraud the east india company with their snake bounties. It's still illegal in many areas of africa to poach elephants. And the only places where the population has rebounded was when you make the common person's interests align with keeping up the elephant population.
Let's say your desire goes into effect fully and completely, without humans doing what's in their own personal best interest. What happens when the invasive species population gets to 10%, and is really expensive and hard to catch, so the fish is more expensive. Are people just going to keep funding this increasingly rare and expensive food Will the companies just shrug and go Eh, I guess we got close enough, and shut down, or will they turn into a charity (who, like many others, should be seeking to work themselves out of business. but has that ever really happened Yes, a few times, but they are the exception that proves the rule.
Well, the issue is: incentive alignment. Running things to extinction, intentionally, is almost never aligned with any incentive. except for personal pests. You will pay money to get an exterminator out to your home. You will shoot an elephant who is destroying your crops, and threatening to starve your family. You will probably not care about the 5% remaining population of a fish in a river 7000 miles away.
(Maybe, just maybe, it can work as a side hustle for a conservatory to try and generate income rather than bio waste when doing their normal collections. I won't say that's a bad idea. One just has to always be cognizant of the incentives you create)
reply
ColorblindBullpup
If anybody is in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or any of the other states affected by Northern Snakehead go try some. Its delicious. Depending on the catch you can get a two 2 foot long filets of nothing but clean white meat that is super flaky. It’s one of my top three along with catfish and flounder. Super easy to catch now too unfortunately since they are spreading like wildfire. All you gotta do is fish like you’re fishing for bass. Don’t mistake them for bowfin. They only look the same in shape. Colors and anatomy are completely different. Snakehead will obviously look like snakes in pattern and have an extended anal and dorsal fin. Bowfin have a spot on their tail, extended dorsal but have two small fins one pelvic and one anal. Also don’t fall for snakehead specific lures. It’s just a gimmick that encourages the snakeheads continued spread. Same results and durability can be found with normal bass lures, pike lures, or salt water lures.
reply
If anybody is in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or any of the other states affected by Northern Snakehead go try some. Its delicious. Depending on the catch you can get a two 2 foot long filets of nothing but clean white meat that is super flaky. It’s one of my top three along with catfish and flounder. Super easy to catch now too unfortunately since they are spreading like wildfire. All you gotta do is fish like you’re fishing for bass. Don’t mistake them for bowfin. They only look the same in shape. Colors and anatomy are completely different. Snakehead will obviously look like snakes in pattern and have an extended anal and dorsal fin. Bowfin have a spot on their tail, extended dorsal but have two small fins one pelvic and one anal. Also don’t fall for snakehead specific lures. It’s just a gimmick that encourages the snakeheads continued spread. Same results and durability can be found with normal bass lures, pike lures, or salt water lures.
reply
HarrisonCSmith
You guys are doing beautiful work.
We need a branch of your organization here in the great lakes region.
We have fish in 5 raging freshwater seas to save. Not to mention our fishery-based local economies. The work that needs to be done up north is tough and is on a gargantuan scale, fighting off not some of, but THE worst invasive species on the planet.
Our fight is going to get even more dire as the whitefish continue collapsing. One of these days I would love to get involved similar work that you guys do from a marketing/fundraising side.
Also: love hellbenders! Love that you're saving them,
reply
You guys are doing beautiful work.
We need a branch of your organization here in the great lakes region.
We have fish in 5 raging freshwater seas to save. Not to mention our fishery-based local economies. The work that needs to be done up north is tough and is on a gargantuan scale, fighting off not some of, but THE worst invasive species on the planet.
Our fight is going to get even more dire as the whitefish continue collapsing. One of these days I would love to get involved similar work that you guys do from a marketing/fundraising side.
Also: love hellbenders! Love that you're saving them,
reply
Keenath
Fish, especially river bottom fish, taste muddy because their tissues are absorbing the chemical geosmin from the algae and river-muck they feed on. Humans are incredibly, insanely sensitive to geosmin, which is basically the taste/smell of moist dirt, for reasons we don't even really understand. Why would it be a survival trait for humans to be 1000 times more sensitive to geosmin than sharks are to blood in the water But we are, and that's what makes beets and some fish taste muddy. But acid breaks down geosmin, so cooking with lemon will wipe out most of the dirt flavor.
reply
Fish, especially river bottom fish, taste muddy because their tissues are absorbing the chemical geosmin from the algae and river-muck they feed on. Humans are incredibly, insanely sensitive to geosmin, which is basically the taste/smell of moist dirt, for reasons we don't even really understand. Why would it be a survival trait for humans to be 1000 times more sensitive to geosmin than sharks are to blood in the water But we are, and that's what makes beets and some fish taste muddy. But acid breaks down geosmin, so cooking with lemon will wipe out most of the dirt flavor.
reply
dandimo12
I live in cleveland and fish lake Erie often. I love eating white perch. They are invasive and taste pretty good. I especially love fishing the ladue reservoir for them. You never stop catching them and for some reason they taste better than in lake Erie. Maybe because it's a cleaner lake I dunno but I make really good fish tacos with them. One thing that I see all the time is people calling darters from the river gobies and killing them. I wish there was a sign that explained the difference or a ranger that would come by and talk to people about it.
reply
I live in cleveland and fish lake Erie often. I love eating white perch. They are invasive and taste pretty good. I especially love fishing the ladue reservoir for them. You never stop catching them and for some reason they taste better than in lake Erie. Maybe because it's a cleaner lake I dunno but I make really good fish tacos with them. One thing that I see all the time is people calling darters from the river gobies and killing them. I wish there was a sign that explained the difference or a ranger that would come by and talk to people about it.
reply
benmberman
I'm concerned about the cobra effect, so I looked into it. It appears the TWRA's incentive program involves them tagging invasive fish and then paying out for the tags - that way there's less incentive to breed the carp. That said, it seems like there's little incentive to actually eliminate the carp entirely. I'm not convinced that eating the carp is the right solution because it incentivizes the industry to continue indefinitely, stopping short of removing the species from the ecosystem.
reply
I'm concerned about the cobra effect, so I looked into it. It appears the TWRA's incentive program involves them tagging invasive fish and then paying out for the tags - that way there's less incentive to breed the carp. That said, it seems like there's little incentive to actually eliminate the carp entirely. I'm not convinced that eating the carp is the right solution because it incentivizes the industry to continue indefinitely, stopping short of removing the species from the ecosystem.
reply
heraldreichel1971
Thanks for sharing some super sensible thinking!
Side note: I never liked carp. They eat detritus and they do smell like it, to me.
Dad told me his parents used to keep them in fresh water tanks for at least two weeks without food before eating them, when he was a child.
They're supposed to taste sublime after that.
I guess I'll never know, because I detest fish bone in the fillet, as well. They are difficult to completely get rid off with carp.
reply
Thanks for sharing some super sensible thinking!
Side note: I never liked carp. They eat detritus and they do smell like it, to me.
Dad told me his parents used to keep them in fresh water tanks for at least two weeks without food before eating them, when he was a child.
They're supposed to taste sublime after that.
I guess I'll never know, because I detest fish bone in the fillet, as well. They are difficult to completely get rid off with carp.
reply
helenswan705
Interesting! And I always like your content. But I recently watched a vid about invasive crayfish, crawfish I think you call them. Here in UK/Europe. They looked at the possibility of eating them, and found that it made no difference. Sad! And there is long-time evidence that prey species respond to predation by multiplying. makes sense, right And is completely different from environmental hazards or climate change. (uk) (love those recipe cards)
reply
Interesting! And I always like your content. But I recently watched a vid about invasive crayfish, crawfish I think you call them. Here in UK/Europe. They looked at the possibility of eating them, and found that it made no difference. Sad! And there is long-time evidence that prey species respond to predation by multiplying. makes sense, right And is completely different from environmental hazards or climate change. (uk) (love those recipe cards)
reply
boandlkramer8935
Thats a great idea, I think its wrong to hurt or kill anything that can suffer but killing, but killing and eating invasive species that damage the ecosystem I can get behind, as long as you stay ethically consistent and also kill and eat humans that damage the ecosystem (starting with billionaires, oil execs, climate denier politicians etc. Big props to the conservationists, they are doing important work
reply
Thats a great idea, I think its wrong to hurt or kill anything that can suffer but killing, but killing and eating invasive species that damage the ecosystem I can get behind, as long as you stay ethically consistent and also kill and eat humans that damage the ecosystem (starting with billionaires, oil execs, climate denier politicians etc. Big props to the conservationists, they are doing important work
reply
pzm6898
I feel like promoting eating invasive species just opens the market for them and can even better their image and enhance the social and economic value of those species. if you promote it you frame it as a resource that some people may relate with economic or culinary value and then we have a problem ( I have seen similar things happen whenever they promote foraging/hunting/fishing as control measures)
reply
I feel like promoting eating invasive species just opens the market for them and can even better their image and enhance the social and economic value of those species. if you promote it you frame it as a resource that some people may relate with economic or culinary value and then we have a problem ( I have seen similar things happen whenever they promote foraging/hunting/fishing as control measures)
reply
ogdirtyboy2563
San Marcos texas does excellent local conservation work - there are a bunch of species that are only found in aquarena springs (renamed spring lake after the closure of the amusment park - also for conservation) or the first stretch of the San Marcos before it joins the guadalupe further south. Every year they host an invasive spearfishing tournament with a cash prize for the winner.
reply
San Marcos texas does excellent local conservation work - there are a bunch of species that are only found in aquarena springs (renamed spring lake after the closure of the amusment park - also for conservation) or the first stretch of the San Marcos before it joins the guadalupe further south. Every year they host an invasive spearfishing tournament with a cash prize for the winner.
reply
danielcurren2119
As a Floridian, I recommend another invasive whitefish everyone SHOULD eat the heck out of is lionfish- although saltwater, they are murder to anything smaller than it. Just clip off the venomous spines and you can cook it however you want to. There are even restaurants in the keys that will cook lionfish for you if you bring it to them
reply
As a Floridian, I recommend another invasive whitefish everyone SHOULD eat the heck out of is lionfish- although saltwater, they are murder to anything smaller than it. Just clip off the venomous spines and you can cook it however you want to. There are even restaurants in the keys that will cook lionfish for you if you bring it to them
reply
ApexLifeforms
When outcrossing populations, use many many many females, most will refuse to mate so you will have to use large numbers of individuals. When making interspecific hybrids even siblings used can have radically different survival rates with offspring suggesting even closely related individuals can have very different genetic compatibility
reply
When outcrossing populations, use many many many females, most will refuse to mate so you will have to use large numbers of individuals. When making interspecific hybrids even siblings used can have radically different survival rates with offspring suggesting even closely related individuals can have very different genetic compatibility
reply
JudyCZ
This is a really cool initiative! Had no idea no carp is actually native to the Americas, for us Czechs it's a traditional Christmas meal (not the silver carp, the common carp. But surprisingly we don't really eat that much freshwater fish in general, gotta look into that and try to incorporate more into my diet. P. S. Aster is super cool!
reply
This is a really cool initiative! Had no idea no carp is actually native to the Americas, for us Czechs it's a traditional Christmas meal (not the silver carp, the common carp. But surprisingly we don't really eat that much freshwater fish in general, gotta look into that and try to incorporate more into my diet. P. S. Aster is super cool!
reply
stufffstufffington
I wanted to eat some loinfish since they are invasive, but they don't sell them at most of my supermarkets and the ones they sell at fresh market cost an arm and a leg. It would be nice if they priced invasive species at a lower cost. Seems like exactly the kind of thing it would be a good idea for the government to subsidize.
reply
I wanted to eat some loinfish since they are invasive, but they don't sell them at most of my supermarkets and the ones they sell at fresh market cost an arm and a leg. It would be nice if they priced invasive species at a lower cost. Seems like exactly the kind of thing it would be a good idea for the government to subsidize.
reply
dr. woozie7500
I like cooking my carp two ways.
Chinese pan-fried carp - cut it up into large chunks, marinated in a Chinese cooking wine sauce with scallion, ginger, and peppercorns and fried with garlic and soy sauce
Masgouf - Iraqi grilled carp. Butterflied and slow grilled over wood, seasoned w/ olive oil, turmeric, pepper, coriander
reply
I like cooking my carp two ways.
Chinese pan-fried carp - cut it up into large chunks, marinated in a Chinese cooking wine sauce with scallion, ginger, and peppercorns and fried with garlic and soy sauce
Masgouf - Iraqi grilled carp. Butterflied and slow grilled over wood, seasoned w/ olive oil, turmeric, pepper, coriander
reply
Laurapossum
How about not eating the fish at all. Let them live! Fishing is animal cruelty, every second a fish is outside of the water it feels for them like they were painfully being choked while your lungs are burning.
Have some empathy people, please stop torturing animals for your tastebuds to get a slightly different taste
reply
How about not eating the fish at all. Let them live! Fishing is animal cruelty, every second a fish is outside of the water it feels for them like they were painfully being choked while your lungs are burning.
Have some empathy people, please stop torturing animals for your tastebuds to get a slightly different taste
reply
chubeye1187
Carp is a Christmas dish in many European countries, it is said to have been brought to the UK by monks in the 12th century, though I do have old British recipe books that mention carp, it's only really eaten by immigrants and can be found in fish mongers. You won't be popular taking them from the wild here
reply
Carp is a Christmas dish in many European countries, it is said to have been brought to the UK by monks in the 12th century, though I do have old British recipe books that mention carp, it's only really eaten by immigrants and can be found in fish mongers. You won't be popular taking them from the wild here
reply
bignerd3783
the year is 2025
the problem aquatic ecosystems are infested with invasive species and people are eating the native ones!
the solution give money to anyone who hands over a dead invasive fish!
sounds like a great idea; with the best of intentions; what could possibly go wrong
reply
the year is 2025
the problem aquatic ecosystems are infested with invasive species and people are eating the native ones!
the solution give money to anyone who hands over a dead invasive fish!
sounds like a great idea; with the best of intentions; what could possibly go wrong
reply
blackknightz5036
american are too afraid to step out of their safety bubble and try new food, take snakehead fish for example, it's invasive and a tasty fish to eat, they aren't even fast breeding fish so they would be gone in no time if people eat it, they are my fav among flaky meat fishes.
reply
american are too afraid to step out of their safety bubble and try new food, take snakehead fish for example, it's invasive and a tasty fish to eat, they aren't even fast breeding fish so they would be gone in no time if people eat it, they are my fav among flaky meat fishes.
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
