Invasive species have been a hot topic over the last few decades as more bugs, plants, marine life and animals get introduced to new habitats that they're not supposed to be in.

Prevention is the best way to combat an invasive species.

But when they're already here and causing damage, scientists and government agencies say, that when it comes to certain invasive species, if you can't beat them, eat them!

An invasive species is one that negatively impacts the ecosystem that it's introduced to.

These can be animals that outcompete native species for food, plants that choke out native plants and bugs that infest crops, effectively wiping them out.

Overall, invasive species are living organisms that adapt quickly to a new area and they don't have natural predators.

This causes their populations to increase exponentially, harming local habitats, ecosystems and property, which can impact local economies.

Take, for instance, feral hogs.

Now farmers raise pigs for pork products like ham, bacon, sausage, Really anything you'd find at a diner serving breakfast or at a local barbecue.

In captivity, pigs are fine, but North America has been dealing with a feral hog issue since they arrived on Spanish ships in the 1500s.

As with many food sources brought over by colonists, pigs are not native to North America.

Over the centuries, pigs escaped and in some cases were even let loose.

They had no natural predators and they had plenty of food to forage, causing the wild pig population to skyrocket.

Feral hogs can be very dangerous and destructive.

Not only do they have large, sharp tusks, they can weigh up to 300 pounds and run up to speeds of 30 miles per hour.

They also carry bacteria and diseases that are easy to transmit.

Add that to the fact that they often travel in sounders, or packs with up to 30 hogs, they can cause some serious damage to people, farms and livestock in their path.

In some counties throughout the United States, hunting feral hogs is actually encouraged.

Wild pigs are causing so much havoc in California's Sonoma County, lawmakers recently proposed a bill that would loosen restrictions on hog hunting.

And in Texas, Hayes and Caldwell Counties.

A $5 bounty is paid out for every wild pig killed.

As for eating them, there are some precautions you must take, according to the CDC.

Don't prepare any wild hog that appears to be sick.

Avoid direct contact with the carcass by using disposable gloves and protective eyewear.

Burn or bury the disposable gloves and the parts of the hog you don't plan on using.

Wash your hands immediately after handling the animal.

Any tools you use should be cleaned with disinfectant and cook the pork until it has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

It sounds like a lot of work, but for many rural communities in the United States that deal with feral hogs, eating them is a reportedly delicious and pretty common part of life.

Feral hogs aren't the only invasive species you can eat.

Take big head and silver carp, for instance.

After escaping from a fish farm, they are now dominating lakes and rivers throughout the Midwest, eating much of the plankton that other native species, like paddlefish, need to survive.

In order to encourage people to eat them.

They're being rebranded as Copi or Silver Fin.

They're even on the menu at the University of Illinois, where 9000 to 11000 pounds of carp are served to students each year.

Then there are lionfish which are native to the South Pacific and Indian Oceans.

They have become a threat to the Atlantic Ocean, typically to the Caribbean, where native species like grouper and snapper fish who live in the coral reefs don't recognize them as a predator yet.

Sharks also don't seem to recognize the lionfish as potential prey.

Thus their populations have skyrocketed.

However, chefs across the Caribbean and even in Florida have found that the lionfish is a delightful addition to the menu.

Very similar to the texture and flavor of black sea bass, lionfish are great for frying, baking and are an excellent choice for ceviche.

Animals and fish are not the only invasive species that you are encouraged to eat.

You can also eat garlic mustard, an invasive herb that has been taking over the Northeastern and Midwestern parts of the United States, reducing the amount of biodiversity of forests, according to the Nature Conservancy.

It's best to harvest garlic mustard when it's younger and less bitter.

Older garlic mustard has to be cooked before use, as mature plants contain cyanide.

But it is great to use in dips, sauces, salads and stir fries.

One of the most clever culinary solutions to an invasive species problem involves the green crab, which is considered the most invasive species to a marine environment.

Green crabs came to the northeastern shores of the United States via English merchant ships in the 1800s, and they've been wreaking havoc on shell fisheries in New England ever since.

Females can lay eggs twice a year and can lay 185,000 eggs at a time.

Each green crab can eat as many as 40 mussels or softshell clams per day.

In fact, from 1948 to 1958, Softshell clam production in Maine fell by 80%, and in 2008, the EPA reported that Shell Fisheries lost around $20 million per year, all because of green crabs.

Because they're so small, they have few culinary applications.

But Tamworth Distilling, in partnership with the University of New Hampshire, has figured out a way to use green crabs to make a product that is not only delicious, but also educates people about the local ecosystem, climate change and sustainability.

Enter Crab Trapper Whiskey, a bourbon with a bass that is steeped in a stock of crab, corn and spices just like what you'd have at a low country boil.

The result is a spirit that has delightful notes of warming spices with a hint of seafood brine.

Eating these invasive species will not entirely eradicate them, but when used with other methods of control, it can help mitigate the spread of their populations.

Plus, invasive species can be an abundant and delicious food source.

You can learn more about the invasive species impacting your community and what you can do about them by visiting the National Wildlife Federation, the USDA Forest Service, and the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service.