A Developer named Aqua bounty in Mass. has been developing a salmon that will grow at twice the normal rate. The fish is designed to be grown in farms, its an Atlantic salmon with a growth hormone gene from Chinook salmon and a genetic switch from ocean pout. This genetically modified fish will be able to grow at twice the normal rate and year round as it can still grow in cold waters. This means it will reach market size in just 16-18 months instead of 3 years. The FDA is currently evaluating the company to see if it can get the go ahead.
Lets just hope it gets denied and they leave salmon alone to grow naturally and roam free in the Pacific, harvested in a sustainable manner.
Source:
- http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/business/26salmon.html?th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1277568089-SsSs2kdjaFQtXyuI8alNAA
Genetically Modified Salmon: Whatever Next!