NBN has been posting headlines like the one above for the past two years. Now we’ve got 19 “eminent” ecologists saying maybe it’s time to reconsider the war on invasive species. That’s bound to seriously anger fishermen in Illinois looking for scientists to help keep the Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes. And let’s not forget the recently hatched plan to import wasps to beat back the emerald ash borer. Such efforts to combat invasive species have had their successes, like the displacement of Meadow Lands invasive fragmities with native salt grasses. So, are these 19 scientists seriously suggesting we let invasive take over the planet like these zebra mussels  shown here appear intent on doing?

We’d like to argue that the scientists in the article linked above are half right. We really do need to rethink our battles with invasive species. NBN thinks the relatively low-cost, minimally invasive efforts like the ash borer and other, similar programs are justified while control measure involving chemicals and physical removal are less so. Some invasive species have been a bit of a boon to some of this country's environments. It's these benefits of invasives species that the scientists in the article linked above say is being overlooked. Take the green crab, pictured here. It’s hot bait for blackfish. If blackfish love green crabs and there are lots of greencrabs, that must be good for blackfish which are great to eat. These scientisits are saying there are a lot of new normals we'll have to accept in our future ecosystems, and it's not all bad.

If Asian Carp are infesting middle-America in such numbers, why not take advantage and send a couple mid-water trawlers through these rivers? It could be a boon to the aquaculture market which is starving for fish to feed to their fish. Yeah, invasive species do a lot of damage to native ecosystems, but the cat is out of the bag. This country spends billions on combating native species without clearly examining what will happen if we just let nature take its course. In some cases, like Asian Carp, such policy will be disastrous at first. But these invasives are a food source for something. Why not either find ways to put them to good use or let nature do so over time.