Is Frankenfish coming soon to a supermarket near you? After decades of effort by a biotech firm, genetically engineered salmon may soon be approved for sale by the Food and Drug Association. Is that a good thing? One Fat Frog has the scoop.
Since 1996, AquaAdvantage, a biotech company based in Massachusetts has been trying to get the FDA to approve their GMO salmon, which would be the world’s first genetically modified animal approved for human consumption. The technology for this new salmon creation – dubbed “Frankenfish” by its detractors – has been around since 1989. Basically AquaAdvantage took a normal salmon, added a growth gene from a Chinook salmon and a promoter gene (no, the Frog doesn’t know what that is) from an ocean pout. The result is a salmon that reaches its full size in half the time, meaning the salmon could be sold to stores and restaurants sooner, saving time, money and environmental resources.
Of course, not everyone is enthused. Many environmental groups, Alaskan fishermen, and consumer watchdogs have been fighting this Frankenfish and trying to block its approval from the FDA. Some large supermarkets, such as Safeway and Kroger, have already said that they will refuse to sell the genetically engineered fish. Proponents of the fish say that it will allow the United States to farm and raise more of its seafood instead of importing almost all of it, as is currently the case. Opponents say that eating Frankenfish is creepy (definitely) and that we don’t know enough about the fish to know if it’s safe. The FDA recently came to a preliminary finding that the fish will not have a significant impact on the environment. For that reason, many experts predict that the FDA will soon approve the product, allowing it to be sold in stores and restaurants. So who wants an order of Frankenfish?