“AquaBounty is a biotechnology company dedicated to the improvement of productivity in aquaculture.” They are also dedicated to making some GMO-salmon.GMO, that is, genetically-modified organisms, are finding their way into a “scientific breakthrough” called AquAdvantage salmon, the first GMO salmon safe to eat as per the FDA.
These fish grow at a rate twice that of regular salmon, thereby dubbed as improving the efficiency and economic viability of fish farms across the world.
Last September, the FDA stated that salmon hatched from these AquAdvantage eggs are safe to eat. Now the company, AquaBounty Technologies, is seeking final approval to sell the fish in American markets.
This is causing some concern.
Alaskan senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski recently introduced legislation to ban genetically modified salmon. A similar bill that would result in labelling all types of genetically modified fish has also been introduced.
Senator Begich claims it will pose a serious threat to wild Alaskan fish stocks, along with the premise that it will threaten the livelihood and safety of Alaskans. Many eco-groups agree; they claim these organisms are not fully understood and must be researched further before we eat them.
Concerns, such as fish escaping and breeding with other salmon, have been raised about the AquAdvantage salmon. It may also cause additional harm to the environment, causing more waste than “regular” salmon.
Because of this, the salmon have to be engineered to be sterile, another GMO-use. And AquaBounty claims that using this wouldn’t cause more planet farm, but instead “help reduce pressure on wild fish stocks suffering from over-fishing.”
AquaBounty is confident for a positive ruling from the FDA, given the agency’s previous approval of the salmon.
What do you think?
Read more from aquabounty.com.