By Marilyn Collins
The US Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for the sale of genetically-engineered (GM) salmon called AquAdvantage, produced by Aqua-Bounty Technologies, a Massachusetts company.
This GE salmon was developed by implanting genetic material from an eel-like species called Ocean Pout that grows all year round. The gene from the king salmon (the largest species of Salmon) was the identified growth hormone which was forced into hyperactivity using the promoter gene from an eel-like fish that can survive and grow in near-freezing waters. Usually the salmon’s growth hormone is inactivated during the colder months.
The AquAdvantage or GE salmon is considered a tool to enhance food security through rapid maturation, approximately eighteen months as compared to a three-year period with the non-genetically engineered salmon. Further, the genetically engineered salmon requires comparatively less feed for its growth and maturation.
