by Selenna

Created on: September 30, 2010

The Massachusetts based company, AquaBounty, has been developing a genetically modified version of the Atlantic Salmon on Prince Edward Island in Canada.  The company first applied to the FDA for permission to sell its salmon, called AquAdvantage, in 1995 but the FDA is only now considering approval.  If approved the GM salmon will be the first genetically modified animal to be allowed for human consumption.

Ronald L. Stotish, the company's president, states that the GM salmon's characteristics, behavior and physiology is the same as the native Atlantic Salmon but this species has been given a gene from two other fish which accelerates its growth.  One gene was taken from the Ocean Pout, a cold water, eel-like fish found in the Northwest Atlantic from Labrador to the Delaware and is also a relative of the Atlantic Salmon.  This gene allows the salmon to produce growth hormones non stop and grow to market size in eighteen months instead of three years.  The other gene is a growth hormone from the Chinook Salmon which are the largest of any salmon often exceeding forty pounds with some having been reported to weigh over one hundred and twenty pounds.

Critics are concerned about the safety of the GM fish and its effects on human health.  Though only minor testing has been done at this point, researchers have found no evidence of the salmon being harmful to humans but the debate on environmental impacts is raging and the fact that approval of the salmon will open the door for genetic altercation of many other species, possibly decimating populations of native species, worries environmentalists.  AquaBounty has said that the salmon will only be grown in indoor tanks within inland areas but it has been proven with fish farms around the world that no containment system is foolproof.  Biologists have warned that just one GM fish could wipe out local populations.

Genetically modified salmon may be safe to eat but could damage the environment in ways we cannot conceive and enable a monopoly on the salmon trade.  Genetic modification allows for powerful companies to put patents on life itself and could one day prove detrimental to our food supply.  GM is moving into every corner of our food supply, if it is left unchecked we will soon begin to lose native species.  Containment and thorough testing is a must, considering it is still unclear how safe and stable these modifications really are.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article /2010/09/06/AR2010090602424.html?wprss=rss_nation

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/fish/chinooksalm on.htm

http://technorati.com/lifestyle/green/article/geneti cally-modified-salmon/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/708927.stm

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