| Andrew Pollack, The New York Times. Relevant to GSS Losing
Biodiversity, chapter 4. Excerpt: Government regulators moved a big step
closer on Friday to allowing the first genetically engineered animal — a
fast-growing salmon — to enter the nation’s food supply. The Food and
Drug Administration said it had concluded that the salmon would have “no
significant impact” on the environment. The agency also said the salmon
was “as safe as food from conventional Atlantic salmon.” … The
AquAdvantage salmon… is an Atlantic salmon that contains a growth
hormone gene from the Chinook salmon and a genetic switch from the ocean
pout, an eel-like creature. The switch keeps the gene on so that the
salmon produces growth hormone year round, rather than only during warm
weather. The fish reach market weight in about 18 months instead of
three years. … The main concern addressed was whether the genetically
engineered salmon could escape and establish themselves in the wild,
with detrimental environmental consequences. The larger salmon, for
instance, could conceivably outcompete wild Atlantic salmon for food or
mates. The agency said the chance this would happen was “extremely
remote.” It said the salmon would be raised in inland tanks with
multiple barriers to escape. Even if some fish did escape, the nearby
bodies of water would be too hot or salty for their survival. And
reproduction would be unlikely because the fish would be sterilized,
though the sterilization technique is not foolproof…. Read the full
article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/22/business/gene-altered-fish-moves-closer-to-federal-approval.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20121222&_r=0 |
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