Food safety activists and environmentalists are concerned over the potential risks from a new US brand of genetically-modified salmon, which has just hit Canadian shelves. Some believe Canadians are being used as guinea pigs for potentially harmful technology. After trying for two decades, AquaBounty Technologies’ GM salmon was finally approved for sale in Canada in 2016, which led to the most recent developments. The company’s GM salmon can grow twice as large
as conventionally-farmed Atlantic salmon, according to the Guardian. The accelerated growth means the fish will reach adult size in 18 months rather than the typical 30 months. This process is established by modifying the firm’s Atlantic salmon with a growth hormone gene taken from Chinook salmon. The company also claims that their salmon consume 20 to 25 percent less food per gram of new flesh. “The sale and discussions with potential buyers clearly demonstrate that customers want our fish, and we look forward to increasing our production capacity to meet demand,” Ronald Stotish, chief executive of AquaBounty, said in a statement last Friday. READ MORE
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