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Genetically engineered fish is not a matter of “if” but “when”

Image: Ingrid Taylar, Salmon Leaping at the Locks, Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
Image: Ingrid Taylar, Salmon Leaping at the Locks, Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Genetically modified salmon could potentially be on the US market by 2019.

Could genetically modified fish help to provide food security? Aquabounty have developed salmon that can grow larger and faster than conventional salmon and have higher feed conversion ratios (see the FCRN’s summary of the paper Feed conversion efficiency in aquaculture: do we measure it correctly?). The fish are raised in tanks, potentially taking pressure off wild fish stocks. Since the US FDA approved the genetically modified salmon in 2015, Aquabounty have bought a land-based fish farm in Indiana, potentially bringing the salmon to market in the US by 2019. However, issues of consumer acceptance and labelling regulations still have to be addressed.

Read the full story here. See also the Foodsource resource How do food systems affect fish stocks and marine habitats?

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