Scientists believe that GMO salmon can breed with trout and harm the ecosystem
The Canadian biotech corporation called AquaBounty has spent the last 17 years on developing a type of GM salmon that grows in half time of the wild salmon.
However, scientists warn that GMO salmon can breed with wild trout and harm the environment and other species.
The GM salmon is right now in the queue of USDA waiting for approval, however the researchers have conducted studies that suggests GM salmon could mate with wild trout and result in escape of some animals into the river and streams.
The result of GM salmon breeding with wild trout could be new specie that grows a lot faster than GM salmon. According to Telegraph, the leader of the study, Dr Krista Oke from the department of biology at McGill University in Quebec, Canada said that “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating transmission and ecological consequences from interspecific hybridisation between a GM animal and a naturally hybridising species. “Ultimately, hybridisation of transgenic fishes with closely related species represents potential ecological risks for wild populations.”
The Canadian firm is waiting for FDA to regulate GM salmon in US grocery stores
Despite the outcry from the public and organic food producers, FDA recently ruled that GM fish was unlikely to pose a threat to human health and the environment. However FDA hasn’t yet approved GMO salmon for public consumption in US.
This is when GMO crops are banned in many countries and GMO fish are unlikely to go on market in Europe since there are restricted regulations about GM meat.
At the same time, many experts and environmentalists including the Atlantic Salmon federation have shown concern that GM salmon can disrupt the ecosystem by escaping into the wild life. Yet, FDA claims that GMO salmon is safe when the latest research including the one performed by Dr Oke and her colleagues suggest that GM salmon can impose serious threat to the environment and wild life.
According to Telegraph Dr Oke said that “Although transgenic hybrids would likely be rarer in the wild than in our experiment, our results indicate that transgenic hybrids have a competitive advantage over salmon in at least some semi-natural conditions.
“If this advantage is maintained in the wild, transgenic hybrids could detrimentally affect wild salmon populations.”
But, Ron Stotish, chief executive of AquaBounty Technologies thinks that the masterpiece of his company known as AquAdvantage is a female GM salmon that cannot breed. He also ensured everyone that there is no reason to worry because even if the GM salmon and wild trout breed, such hybrid would pose little ecological threat as the fish would not reproduce.
GMO salmon is bad news if it’s approved for US consumption
Many people cannot consume meat and poultry since they are filled with hormones, antibiotics and chemicals. But wild Sockeye salmon is still a great nutritional food for breastfeeding mothers and growing children because of fatty acids (DHA, that’s need to neurological and brain development of children), lean protein and vitamin B12.
Wild sockeye salmon is one of the only seafood with low contamination (0.09) considering that most seafood is filled with toxins and heavy metals like mercury.
But if FDA approves GM salmon for US consumption and welcomes it with open arms to the US market, that could destroy the nutritional value of wild salmon and impose serious threat to wild life and the environment.
So pick up your phone and call FDA and urge them not to approve GM salmon for US consumption. Also, call your local grocery store and tell them you will boycott GM salmon.
Sources:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10085179/GM-salmon-can-breed-with-trout-and-harm-ecosystem-warn-scientists.html
