In 2002, the Asian blackfish invaded the United States, which surprised the Americans, immediately took measures to kill them, and listed the Asian blackfish as a harmful invasive species, trying to eliminate them. However, the superior water conditions have not only accelerated the breeding of Asian blackfish, but also grown in size, causing large-scale flooding in the United States and serious impact on the local ecology. We Chinese netizens take a look, this is not mullet, this is a well-deserved high-quality ingredient in China, how to go to foreign countries has become a dangerous fish?
The "Asian Blackfish" That Invaded the United States
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="14" >What is mullet? </h1>
Mullet, also known as blackfish, is called "Asian blackfish" by Americans, in Chinese waters, an adult mullet can normally only grow to 30-35 cm, weighing about 3 kg, while the successful invasion of the United States mullet can grow to about one meter, the weight can reach 9 kg. The freshwater waters of the United States are not only suitable for the survival of mullets, but also have no natural enemies underwater or on land, the fish in the water are abundant, providing sufficient food for mullets, and americans do not eat this fish, which creates excellent conditions for their survival and reproduction. Mullet in China's natural enemy is man, as long as it is rich in mullet, there are different ways to cook mullet, steamed, braised, boiled, tight and tender meat, less thorns of mullet in China is deeply popular in China, in China to be through breeding to meet the supply.
A common blackfish on the market
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="14" > the "Asian carp" that gives Americans the most headache</h1>
In addition to The Asian blackfish, many species have also successfully invaded the United States over the years, posing a threat to the ecology of the United States. In the face of this type of problem, the United States has also taken a series of legal measures to deal with it. The most famous of the invasive species in the United States is the "Asian carp", when the United States introduced the "Asian carp" from Southeast Asia in order to clean up the algae in the river, and the Asian carp did their mission well at first, but soon they multiplied faster than phytoplankton. Although Asian carp did not eat other fish, the size of the appetite made them steal food from other native fish, so the native fish gradually disappeared, and the United States at that time did not have the natural enemy of Asian carp, they did not like to eat, so the number of Asian carp in some rivers in the United States has reached 90% of the total.
Huge "Asian carp"
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="14" > a case of plant invasion in the United States</h1>
In the United States, this kind of good intentions doing bad things is not unique. In 1876, an American could not resist the temptation of wild kudzu vine flowers and secretly brought a plant from the Philadelphia World Expo to plant it. The United States did not have this plant before, so out of curiosity, many Americans began to follow the trend of planting, and the government also strongly supported farmers to plant wild kudzu vines to protect water and soil. But the wild kudzu vine also has no natural enemies and grows fast, so it quickly crawls all over the walls and streets of the house, flooding the southern states of the United States. So the Americans were confused again, and in order to eliminate this alien species, they actually introduced an alien species, that is, the "sieving bean turtle bug". This itself is an omnivorous pest, but the Americans hope that it can solve this "green crisis", but again it backfired, the sun-dried bean turtle bug not only did not solve the problem of the spread of wild kudzu vine, but instead ate soybeans, which caused the southern soybean production to halve that year.
Wild kudzu vine crawling full of tractors
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="14" > compared with the United States, the fate of invasive organisms in China</h1>
The luck of the alien species that invaded China is not so good, as long as it can be eaten, the final fate is brought to the table, and even the supply is in short supply, and finally it depends on professional breeding. The most representative are crayfish, tilapia and bullfrogs. Crayfish and tilapia have become the protagonists of China's night market stalls and barbecue stalls, favored by a large number of foodies; bullfrogs, although they once flooded the major lakes, ponds and rice fields when they first entered China, they could not escape the fate of being made into a delicacy, and needed to be farmed on a large scale around the 1990s.
Mullet on the table
We may wonder, even if there is no way to take plants like wild kudzu, then edible fish like Asian blackfish and Asian carp, why can't Americans directly use food to solve biological invasions like Chinese? It seems that this is really not feasible, and there are several reasons for this.
Historical and humanistic differences
As one of the "four ancient civilizations in the world", people in this land must find out what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten; after meeting the requirements of full stomach, they begin to study cooking methods and seasonings; in order to eat this food for a long time, they will study planting and breeding. In addition, from ancient times to the present, this land has always been in constant war, natural disasters have also occurred frequently, the people often do not have enough to eat, hungry and do not choose food, in the process of fleeing the famine will find some new food, so in the context of such development, we are more likely to accept new food, more good at discovering the cooking method of food.
As we all know, the United States is a country of immigrants, since the 16th century, Western European countries have invaded and accumulated capital, and in the 17th century, Britain began to establish colonies in North America, and a rift was created between the colonies and the British mainland, and only then did the War of Independence break out, and finally the establishment of a federal state. That is to say, people of different races in many countries immigrated to the United States, and the United States as a colony at that time already had a relatively mature economic, cultural, religious and political foundation, and it can also be said that it is ready-made in terms of diet, so there will not be too much exploration of new foods.
Different diets are varied
China's huge population has caused different regional preferences, such as Guangxi people will eat beef hot pot, Guangdong people will eat insects. People in different places also like to develop new foods from local materials, and there are several methods of the same ingredient, and the national special foods are summarized, forming a feeling of Chinese eating everything.
Although the United States brings together the diets of many countries, the invaders basically bring the most convenient and fast food in their own countries, which have become American flavors according to local conditions, so the fast food culture in the United States is also diversified.
Differences in religious beliefs
Before the independence of the United States, the main sects of Christianity have been introduced to the United States, and then rapidly developed into the most influential religion, European and American dietary taboos and Christian doctrines are related to Christian doctrine, Christians are forbidden to eat animal blood, strangled animals, dead animals, buddha statues and other idol food. In order to maintain their own norms, many factions have a set of strict dietary taboos, so not everything can be eaten.
There is no such constraint in our country, although people who believe in Buddhism will abstain from fasting meat, but it is also a personal choice.
Of course, the invasion of alien species cannot be solved by eating alone, and there are some species that Chinese foodies can't solve, such as Fushou snail and scavenger. Fushou snail looks very similar to the field snail, the original introduction is to eat, but the taste is not good, improper cooking will also infect parasites, so the abandoned Fushou snail is multiplied in large quantities, endangering crops, has been listed by the State Environmental Protection Administration of China as a major dangerous agricultural invasive alien organisms. Recently, many bloggers on the Internet are trying to cook scavengers, although scavengers can eliminate garbage and fish excrement in the water, but more are eating roe of other fish, which seriously affects the aquaculture industry and the ecological environment. And Chinese thought it was dirty and unpalatable, so it was eliminated by the table.
Fushou snail
Since the bullfrog, tilapia and crayfish have been solved, Chinese foodies seem to be a bit blind, as soon as they hear about which country has invasive species, they have taken the initiative to ask for help, rushing to solve the problems of neighboring countries. But in the face of invasive alien species, we should always maintain a vigilant heart. These uninvited guests will not only endanger the structure of the ecosystem and biodiversity, but also affect the development of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fisheries, and the traditional culture will also be impacted, and the health of people and livestock will be difficult to guarantee. Therefore, we must consciously abide by ecological ethics and consciously maintain the safety of the ecosystem, which is the best way to prevent and control the invasion of alien species.