DFO scientists suggest the wild salmon stocks could be harmed

There's a risk Canadian fish stocks could be harmed if the world's first genetically engineered salmon is approved for commercialisation, federal scientists suggest. Internal records obtained by Postmedia News also indicate experts from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans are concerned about "limited" and possibly "constrained" regulatory powers around the approvals for GE fish.

The analysis, from senior scientists specializing in biotechnology and aquaculture, comes as a company called AquaBounty Technologies works to bring GE salmon to the dinner plate.

Hoping to get approval in the United States to sell the first genetically engineered fish that people can eat, the company cleared an important hurdle in August, when the US Food and Drug Administration's preliminary analysis concluded that the salmon, engineered in Atlantic Canada to grow twice as fast as normal fish, are safe to eat and not expected to have a significant impact on the environment. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Aquaculturists, published and supported by the International Aquafeed Magazine from Perendale Publishers.