AquaBounty is a biotechnology company attempting to improve productivity in aquaculture. It aims to bring Genetically Modified fish to your table table today, but with an unknown risk for tomorrows salmon.
It needs US federal approval to get its genetically modified salmon to market. This is somethign it has been waiting for for over a decade but renewed interest from the FDA has sparked their hopes of of licensing.
GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) are a hot topic, due to the potentially lethal and unknown effect they could have on non-modifed, natural wildlife.
Of course, the companies that stand to make money out of these organisms, like AquaBounty, are keen to play down these concerns.
They say their AquAdvantage Salmon grow faster in early life stages than other salmon but they do not grow larger than Atlantic Salmon. However, as its impossible to know if thats the only important factor in species competition, its hard to be sure that this one aspect will protect natural Salmon (or other wildlife).
GMO fish will be cheaper than natural caught fish, commercial interests will undoubtably override concerns over the risk to natural fish. The wisdom of this will only be know in many years time.
Tags: Atlantic, Breeding, Fish, Fishing, Genetically Modified, GMO, Salmon