Genetically engineered salmon

Why can't we leave mother nature alone?


http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/09/14/m ... /?hpt=Sbin


The Food and Drug Administration announced with "reasonable certainty" that a new genetically modified Atlantic salmon awaiting approval posed "no harm" to humans who might soon have the opportunity to buy it and eat it as though it were a fish from nature. The announcement brings this "Frankenfish" one step closer to your table.

But make no mistake. The creation of this fish is just another tactic for big industry to make bigger, faster profits with no consideration for the impact it will have on our personal health and the health of our environment and ecosystem.

The fish, an Atlantic salmon, contains growth hormone from a Pacific species, the Chinook salmon, as well as genetic material from another species, the ocean pout, that causes the "transgenic" salmon to grow at twice the normal speed.

Warp-speed salmon, I like it. How would it be in taco form?

A panel of experts that advises the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decided on Monday more research was needed before it could vote on whether to recommend approval to allow genetically modified salmon to be bred for human consumption in the US.


http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/201862.php

Pretty scary stuff, in my opinion. What if these bad boys bet loose?

AquaBounty says its genetically modified Atlantic salmon, which would be bred exclusively on inland fish farms, is reproductively sterile (all the fish would be sterile females), which "eliminates the threat of interbreeding amongst themselves or with native populations, a major recent concern in dealing with fish escaping from salmon farms".


I guess they have never seen Jurassic Park.

It's funny they claim that, but anyone with even simple knowledge of genetics knows it only takes one mutation in the egg for the species to change...maybe even no longer be sterile. They'd also know that many species can and will self fertilize in certain conditions.

I've started cooking for my dogs and the more I read about food as I research to make them healthier, the more I'm willing to pay a premium for real food for them and myself.

It makes me sick! First of all, just farmed raised salmon is bad enough. Anyone with salmon on their menu past October is using some sort of salmon that is bad for the earth and humans. They are using up our resources and are full of chemicals and such. DON'T buy salmon if it's not wild caught! Same goes for Halibut and the over fished Chilean seabass. I'm surprised that more Chefs are not following these rules. It's our responsibility as Chefs! The Monterey Bay seafood watch program even has cards that you could leave at restaurants, letting them know, that they are serving an endangered, farm raised using up our resources, or over fished product. I can't even dine at restaurants anymore, that are not following the recommended seafood watch program. Just a personal thing! I'm not judging anyone, it's just my personal decision.

What's really freaky is that they may not even be labeled. I know what that means at our house. Bye-bye salmon.

What's really freaky is that they may not even be labeled. I know what that means at our house. Bye-bye salmon.

I don't see them being able to label it wild caught, so you could still get your salmon fix by only eating wild caught.

There is an interesting show on NPR Diane Reeves (sp) re: genetic engineering and the salmon. The data out there is actually quite small, ie effects, etc. You can listen to it live streaming.