Salmon: Up a Creek?

Genetically engineered Salmon may be up a creek when it comes to approval not from the FDA but from the public. AquaBounty, based in Waltham, Mass, has combined genes from two other fish, a growth hormone from the Chinook salmon and a genetic on-switch from ocean pout, to create salmon that mature four to six times faster. The gene allows salmon to grow all year long whereas ordinarily their biological clock would inhibit growth as winter approaches. The FDA has determined genetically engineered salmon are just as safe as the salmon we know and love today. This decision by the FDA was ten years in the making as this maturation phenomenon waited for approval.


However, others raise important concerns that should be properly addressed by FDA and AquaBounty. Some worry that this salmon may enter natural populations and natural selection may take its toll. This seems unlikely as salmon are produced inshore and those that are sold to fisheries are infertile. Other causes for concern are how little research has been done to see the effects of trans-genetic on food alergies. While I am far from an expert, I doubt that these fish would effect one any differently from regular salmon as the genes are not promoting the production of any new proteins but rather encourage a salmon's regular growth process to continue. An article by the European Federation of Biotechnology states, "Of the hundreds of thousands of different proteins we take up with food and drink, only very few, perhaps one in 100.000, could actually be allergenic," and goes on to say, "a new protein can only be an allergen if it remains stable for a long time in a  solution that is both acid and contains digestive enzymes, a liquid similar to the one present in the stomach. This test is applied to new transgenic crops to be put on the market and has proven reliable with all the
transgenic plants that are widely commercialized today." As a plug for a trans-genetic crops, the article als sates,"Conversely, genetic engineering will, in the future, be able to remove specific genes from crops which may lead to less allergenic foods and thereby improve the life of those suffering from food allergies."


That being said, for biotechnology enthusiasts like me, delaying this product from reaching supermarket shelves seems ridiculous. These trans-genetic salmon would protect dwindling wild varieties from entering our food supply. Not only are they more efficient in regards to time but also in regards to feed conversion. AquaBounty salmon gain thirty percent more weight per gram of food than ordinary salmon. Besides providing enough food to feed a growing population, these salmon produce thirty percent less waste which would ordinarily pollute the water column or the bottom of the ocean. See this super salmon for yourself!!! (refer to part five as well).


And what else do we have to look forward to? According to GMO journal:

 If GE salmon is approved it will pave the way for ABT’s GE trout and tilapia. There is also Enviropig, a pig engineered with a mouse protein that affects its saliva, and, as the name suggests, the animal is mutated to create more environmentally friendly manure by reducing the amount of phosphorous the pig excretes after eating cereal grain.

Development is also underway for Mad Cow Resistant Cattle that would be resistant to “mad cow” disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy). The GE cow is said to be developed by “knocking out” the prion protein gene that can trigger the mad cow disease.

GM Goats were approved in February 2009 to produce an anti-clotting therapy for people with a rare disorder called hereditary antithrombin deficiency. The drug, Atryn, is made with human protein from female goats bred to express it in their milk.

And finally, there is Glofish, a zebra danio genetically altered with fluorescent colors developed using a fluorescent protein gene that occurs naturally in other marine organisms. The FDA said it had no reason to regulate as it was not intended for food and allegedly caused no environmental threat.

Informal referencing: http://www.efb-central.org/images/uploads/allergiesGMfoods.pdf, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/04/health/policy/04salmon.html, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/business/26salmon.html