Genetically Engineered Salmon

Deficient, Deformed, and Dangerous to You and the Environment

The Food and Drug Administration is about to decide whether to unleash genetically engineered (GE) salmon into our food supply. This GE salmon, which is designed to grow twice as fast as normal salmon, would be the first “transgenic” animal allowed into the U.S. food supply. But given how hard the biotechnology industry is pushing genetic manipulation for the animals we eat, it’s likely not the last. According to the rhetoric of the salmon’s creator, a company called AquaBounty Technologies, this new fish is a technological solution for reducing fishing pressure on wild salmon, creating jobs and diminishing the carbon footprint of producing seafood. But a review of scientific literature tells a far different story, one full of downsides for the consumer, the environment and fishing economies throughout the world.