The FDA has recently begun evaluating the use of genetically modified salmon as a drug. These franken-salmon share genes splices with two other species, a growth hormone gene from Chinook salmon, a cold water gene from the eel-like ocean pout. Combined these genes cause the fish to produce growth hormone in cold weather, when they otherwise wouldn’t. These modified salmon can grow to market size in about 1/3 the time as commercially farmed salmon.

When they say “drug” I’m assuming they’re actually farming fish oil and omega-3s for vitamins and supplements. Still, this would mark the history books as the first transgenic animal available for human consumption in the United States. The FDA is only investigating the overal safety in comparison to the consumption of ordinary salmon, no environmental or economical studies were done. If the GM salmon proves to be safe for consumption how long until it moves from the bathroom cabinet to the dinner table?

But ocean stocks of salmon, like those of many other fish, are dwindling, so we have turned to aquaculture to provide us with tasty fish. Unfortunately, this may exacerbate rather than solve the problem. Farmed fish eat fish oil or fish meal, which come only from wild fish, and it takes three pounds of wild fish meal to generate one pound of salmon. Thus, aquaculture further depletes the oceans rather than sparing them.

To escape this vicious cycle, Aqua Bounty Technologies, based in Massachusetts, has generated transgenic AquAdvantage salmon that grow to market size twice as fast as regular salmon while requiring less feed. The FDA is considering whether to approve this salmon based on safety grounds alone, and that’s simply too narrow, according to a Policy Forum published in Science.

The company that created the fish has minimized this last concern by noting that the fish are grown inland in facilities with containment mechanisms. Even if they get loose, they are sterile and cannot breed with wild stocks

Would you eat genetically modified salmon? Would you eat other genetically modified products (fruits, vegetables, etc)? How do you feel about genetically modified products?

via ArsTechnica