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ESG 1500 News Blitz

sharing environmental science through the news 

Genetically Modified Salmon: Helpful or Harmful?

11/17/2021

15 Comments

 
By: ​Lindsey Wheaton
Summary. Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMOs are plants, animals, or microbes whose genomes have been altered in some way.  We’ve genetically altered crops to mature faster, be resistant to pests, and even have enhanced nutritional value.  We’ve genetically modified animals before, but the company Aquabounty has created the first genetically modified animal approved by the FDA for human consumption.  There is some backlash however.  Many are worried about the potential damage these fish could do if they were to somehow escape.  While the fish will be raised on land in aquaculture farms, there is still worry about the possibility of the fish getting out.  The fish are modified to be sterile, so the possibility of reproducing with wild fish is not possible, but there are many other ways these fish could impact the environment.  If they were to somehow be released there is no way of knowing how the GMO salmon competing with other organisms could affect wildlife.  Some think that because of this, it is too risky to continue production of the fish.  Other concerns include people not trusting the FDA approval, who feel like eating a genetically modified animal is not safe. Some critics have even called Aquabounty’s Salmon a “Frankenfish”.  Other pushback comes from animal rights groups who believe the treatment of the fish to be cruel, comparing the conditions at land aquaculture farms to a slaughterhouse.   Many animal rights activists believe that creating a species just for the purpose of consumption is not ethical.   With the pushback however, there are some people praising this as a scientific miracle, and a positive step towards a more sustainable future.  Overfishing causes not only depleted populations of many different types of fish, but it also is something that leads to a lot of plastic pollution in our oceans.  It’s estimated that 500,000 to 1 million tons of fishing gear is discarded in the ocean every year.  Genetically Modified Salmon could be a possible solution as the fish are raised on land and would reduce the need to catch wild fish.  Aquabounty’s genetically modified salmon will be the first of its kind, an animal who has been altered for the purpose of consumption.  It’ll be interesting to see if consumers decide that the pros outweigh the cons and animals modified for human consumption become the way of the future. ​
Why we should care? We should care about replenishing salmon populations, but at the same time we should be cautious of the potential harm that genetically modified animals could cause if they ended up in the wild. 
Picture
Photo Credit: AquaBounty/©Barrett&MacKay
Example Article. 

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2021/01/04/viewpoint-do-we-really-need-gm-fish-the-case-for-growing-and-eating-aquabountys-biotech-fast-growing-salmon/

​I read articles that were both in support of and against Aquabounty’s GMO salmon.  This article in particular was overall in support of it and I think it did a really good job addressing people's concerns about the fish and explaining why it is not necessary to be concerned about certain things.  I found a lot of articles that had claims that were not backed up by the research the FDA has done, or any research at all.  One of these claims mentioned in this article was that the hormones in the fish will cause cancer, which is not true because all vertebrae and mammals mature with the same growth hormone as these fish. Just because these fish mature quicker does not mean they mature with different hormones. I liked this article because while I have some issues with the fish, I do think that many other articles were fearmongering simply because the Aquabounty fish is different from what people are used to.  So if someone I knew was not sure about the safety of the fish, this would be the article I showed them.  
Science in Action.

Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam is a Biotechnologist and Specialist in animal genomics and biotechnology at University of California.

Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam’s research focus of her lab is the use of DNA-based biotechnologies in beef cattle production and agricultural systems.  She has won many awards for her work focusing on biotechnology and agriculture.  She was a part of the ​​veterinary medicine advisory committee that overlooked the decades of research done by the FDA to either approve or disapprove of the FDA’s conclusion that there was reasonable certainty that genetically modified salmon were not harmful from a food safety perspective.  They also looked at the FDA’s research to see if there were any environmental concerns that were overlooked by the FDA.  The conclusion of the committee was that it agreed with the FDA that there was reasonable certainty that GMO salmon posed no harm from both a food safety and an environmental standpoint.  Dr. Eenennaam was also featured on a npr episode alongside  environmental scientist Dr. Anne Kapuscinski discussing and debating the safety and environmental impact of Aquabounty’s fish. ​
15 Comments
Charles F Horn link
11/18/2021 08:32:00

Genetically modified salmon is a good thing for humankind. The fact that it takes 1 lb of fish to produce one pound of fish makes it almost impossible 2 sustain. It took 15 years for the American Food and Drug Administration to okay this food source. The world needs to find a more sustainable way to feed its people. Overpopulation and famine may kill more humans in the next 50 years than disease. I pray that this maturing fast salmon doesn't make humans that eat it mature faster and age quicker. I believe the American government would not harm its people in any way.

Reply
Katy Millican
11/18/2021 09:57:49

I think one of the reasons many people do NOT have an issue with this is because fish are usually overlooked when thinking about animal rights and welfare. I think it is insane that people have genetically modified a living organism and removed all of its abilities to live a natural life for the sole purpose of slaughtering it for human consumption. I don't think this is the best way to combat overfishing, maybe instead of creating massive fish colonies that will only ever see the inside of a metal tank we should be looking for ways to replenish the fish populations in the wild.

Reply
Robin Bresolin link
11/18/2021 10:50:29

The title of this article caught my attention because salmon is one of my favourite foods. Before reading this, my understanding on GMOs was that they should be avoided if possible, and now my opinion has changed a bit. It disturbs me and I think it is wrong to raise salmon with the sole purpose of just to kill them and agree that it can be compared to a "slaughterhouse". I do agree that it is more sustainable, but a fish should be treated just like any other animal, such as a dog, and not be produced just to be killed.

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Lindsey Hazelton
11/20/2021 16:23:22

This is something that truly does raise an ethical debate. In my opinion, I do not think it is okay to raise salmon for the sole purpose of killing them - especially after modifying them to be better for human consumption. Fish are often mistreated in general (I was just talking to a friend about this) and this adds to it. I think that overfishing is definitely an issue that needs to have a solution, but I do not think this is a proper solution for that issue.

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riley st.ledger
11/21/2021 22:24:26

I think the idea of genetically modifying these fish or any animal just to be raised only for human consumption is very messed up. It definitely isn't ethical in any way. Continuing on with the genetically modified salmon could help with problems like overfishing, but there could be some different solutions we can find instead. It might only be salmon now, but the idea of genetically modifying any animal for consumption will probably spread and could get out of hand.

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Jackson Vosburg
11/22/2021 14:11:53

I think this is a very important breakthrough in the world of food and science. People are saying it is unethical to produce GMOs but they have had no negative health links after numerous studies. In addition to this, farm raised fish grow faster, are often healthier, and don't subtract from wild populations of animals.This is the best solution to overfishing because it allows companies to meet consumer demand without destroying wildlife populations. This reminds me of the artificial/lab grown meat being produced as well as the insect superfoods made using dubia roaches, crickets, mealworms, and other insects

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Cameron Cornellier
11/22/2021 20:43:36

Personally, I believe that these genetically modified salmon are overall beneficial for our population, although there is definitely ethical arguments to be made about it. Raising a live animal for the purpose of killing it is probably unethical, but it gives humans the ability to leave the unmodified salmon alone and let them reproduce naturally. I think in the future, as naturally breeding animals are hunted, there will be a large movement towards genetically modified animal products.

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Mikaela Owen
11/22/2021 21:00:48

Before reading this post, I was extremely against GMO salmon because I do believe it is unethical to modify a living breathing animal. However, I have more respect for the process now because it can reduce the impacts of overfishing and pollution in the oceans. I never thought of this positive from GMO fish but I see it now as something beneficial despite the backlash this process faces.

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Michelle Kim
11/22/2021 21:07:02

It seems unethical to modified salmon for the sake of human consumption. I can see that by modifying the salmon to be larger, it could help the problem of overfishing, but I believe that there could be more ethical ways to do so. They are literally changing a gene of a living animal. I wonder what would happen if a modified fish ended up in the ocean. Have they tried to bring in a wild salmon with the modified ones? If this is one of their biggest concerns, why do they keep doing it?

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Jackson Gifford
11/22/2021 21:24:57

I thought that this article was interesting because it shows the paradoxes that arise with genetic modification. While it can provide great benefits to dilemmas such as food shortage, exposing gmo animals to the open environment can have a profound impact on the biosphere.

Reply
Tommy Maloney
11/22/2021 21:45:28

This is interesting to read because of how new and indifferent people feel about it. As the population rises we will need new ways to produce more food faster and more efficiently so we have to wonder might this be the way. being able to controllingly farm these fish is so much safer for wild populations, and people need to remember that we need to eat to survive.

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Nicholas Hill
11/22/2021 22:13:27

I'm actually very pro GMO's after gaining some information from this class. I think the benefits of producing our own carefully researched and monitored food products is better for the environment and natural herd longevity as well as better for human health.

Reply
Tori Poma
11/22/2021 23:37:12

GMO’s have always been an interesting subject for me because many people, whether they are educated on the matter or not, have such a strong opposition against them. It’s weird to think about your food being changed in a lab. I think preserving the naturalness of our world is important but at the same time, there’s so much we have been able to discover through science that would’ve been frowned upon years ago. I think if more research was done, GMO’s could be useful.

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Rachel Mangulabnan
11/22/2021 23:54:54

This topic has me a bit conflict. On one hand I think it could help with a lot of issues especially when it comes to overfishing or harm to natural habitats. It could help possibly in areas of food scarcity. But then that poses the question of how would those places get the resources for the fish farms. On the other hand I do not know how I feel about humans genetically modifying other species. I don’t know if it is something we should normalize because where and when is the line drawn. It is definitely something to think about more as it is becoming more and more common.

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Rochelle Durand
11/30/2021 21:52:05

I have mixed feelings about the GMO "frankenfish". On one hand, it seems like a great idea to help feed an increasing population across the world without harming the wild salmon populations that are currently being fished. On the other hand, it is the first-ever genetically modified animal. Although it has been approved by the FDA, it still seems suspicious to consume.

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