The opposition states the salmon were to escape into a natural population, they could greatly affect the population. This could affect the image and health of wild salmon. The FDA argued that there are many physical barriers that don't allow the fish to escape to the wild. For instance, the fish are being raised inland in Panama.
The "AquaAdvantage" salmon is an Atlantic salmon that has been genetically altered to grow faster. The FDA has thoroughly analzed and examined the genetically modified fish and has deemed it safe to eat. They took a long time to make this decision and it is the first of its kind. The delay of its approval was predominantly due to the Obama administration's concerns of political back lashes. Even though it is now approved, it probably wont be seen in supermarkets for a couple years.
The fish is modified using a technique called Crispr-Cas9. This allows scientists to genetically alter the genome of the animal instead of just adding genes from other organisms. By increasing the amount of growth hormone the salmon produces, the fish displays an accelerated growth rate. These techniques are being used in other animals as well, and lead to people believing that farm animals could be next.
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I think this subject is very interesting. We read an article and discussed this is class. The FDA is talking about not labeling these salmon as genetically modified. If you go out to a restaurant there is no way of knowing what type of salmon you are eating. This is a problem because consumers have a right to know what they are consuming and putting into their bodies. These organisms present another problem in nature as you discussed in your post. How are natural salmon going to survive if these organisms are dispersed in the population?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/29/science/though-labeled-wild-that-serving-of-salmon-may-be-farmed-or-faux.html?_r=0
i think this is really interesting. I feel like we should know what we are eating so the salmon should be labeled, but on the other hand everything we should eat should be labeled genetically modified. Cows and chickens are both genetically modified, although the process is done much slower than salmon.
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