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Jul 29, 2020

Viewpoint: Fast-growing GMO salmon poised to hit US stores in 2020, but why did it take 30 years?

In a few months, the first transgenic (GMO) salmon will be sold in the US, produced in an AquaBounty farms facility in Indiana. The story will go unnoticed, buried by the infodemic related to COVID-19. However, it is an announcement that the biotech community has been awaiting for 31 years. Aquaculture operations produce 2.5 million tons of salmon annually and the main producers are Norway, Chile, the United Kingdom and Canada. In general, fish farms are responsible for producing more than 50% of all the fish we consume. Imagine you have an idea to double the growth rate of farm-raised salmon through a simple genetic modification, getting it to market size in half the time (18 months vs. 36) while consuming fewer resources. Imagine doing all possible tests, for more than 20 years, to show that the only difference between transgenic and non-transgenic salmon is the intended difference: their growth rate. There are no organoleptic differences (flavor, texture) or variations in the composition of the meat, nor is there any problem when consuming it.  Read the article.