ipl-logo

Genetically Engineered Salmon Case Study

2708 Words11 Pages

Genetically engineered salmon: Is it safe to eat? Genetically modified salmon for human consumption has been a controversial issue from its very beginnings. AquaBounty Technologies, a small company founded in 1991, is considered one of the early pioneers in this industry. They believed that, by combining advanced genetics with the latest aquaculture production techniques, they could create an environmentally friendly and sustainable food supply of genetically engineered salmon (GE salmon). They called their product, AquAdvantage salmon, a hybrid Atlantic salmon that incorporates a gene from a Chinook salmon. This GE salmon can grow to full size in half the time of conventional salmon, and on less food. In two articles, “Legal, PR battles …show more content…

Greensberg's solution is to further improve feed. “Shouldn’t improving feed be our first priority, not artificially improving salmon?”(Greenberg) However Greenberg’s argument to improve feed as a solution for improved farming is not based on sound evidence that feed improvements alone will significantly increase production. Greenberg begins his argument with “In the early days of salmon farming it could take as much as six pounds of wild fish to grow a single pound of salmon. But improvements in diet, husbandry, and selective breeding programs that don’t involve genetic engineering have lowered the feed conversion ratio on the most efficient farms below two-to-one” (Greenberg). In this statement, Greenberg indirectly admits that feed development is a mature concept and is close to reaching its maximum benefits. The gains of farm production using feed improvements is, at best, marginal and genetics offers farms the opportunity to significantly increase and improve production. In fact, the next great breakthrough in feed reduction is raising genetically modified fish. In Entine’s article, he references AquaBounty’s claims that they can reduce the feed requirements by another 20% with their genetically engineered salmon. Entine’s article further points out that genetically grown salmon is environmentally friendly, will reduce greenhouse gases, and will have an overall positive affect on the environment. So, to answer Greenberg's question, feed has been a top priority for a long time, and now has reached peak efficiency. Genetically modifying the fish will have less negative impact on the environment and will significantly reduce the amount of feed

Show More
Related
1081 Words | 5 Pages

Almost every consumer product produces some type of economic, environmental or social footprint. Smoked salmon is no exception, but the specific footprints may be different depending on which company the salmon is purchased from. The two companies in question for this example are Spence & Co. Tradition Scottish-Style and Echo Falls Pacific wild. Both of these companies have their own unique ways of getting the smoked salmon from farm to fork.

Read More
545 Words | 3 Pages

When it comes to farmed salmon the federal and provincial levels of government in Canada, surprisingly, play two very separate roles. The federal government mandates jurisdiction of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, thus trying to protect and ensure the safety and sustainability of the wild salmon populations. However, being a federal level of regulation, the government also is looking to make the best political and economic move for Canada. The best economic move for the entire country is not necessarily what is best for the wild salmon ecosystems and this caused friction over the two sides within the department. The promotion of the aquaculture of farmed salmon is where the Canadian government has chosen to spend a large portion of

Read More
968 Words | 4 Pages

Do the amount a constant harvesting without giving the fish to reproduce more the fish themselves have started to mature faster. The fish have matured faster do the fact that they might not have the chance to reproduce so they want to mature as fast as possible to be able to pass down there genes. While the fish mature faster they are also getting harvested more and more rigorously so the studies show that the fish have to mature faster to be able to have a chance in passing their genes down to the next generation. I conclude that harvesting fish is not bad however unless we don’t live the fish’s a__ time to repopulate their species we will not have any fish to eat in the

Read More
219 Words | 1 Pages

In the article “How to get real about biotechnology” by Timothy Beardsley, goes on to address how the FDA deals with engineered food. It goes into specific detail on salmon fish farming. That if a modified farmed fish were to escape into the wild it would survive, that in theory they wouldn’t be able to breed with the wild salmon because of their altered state. Also that there is potential of food losing its nutritional value in the process, giving the possibility of malnutrition in future foods. In suggestion that with bioengineering the food we eat that we are at risk until everything is all perfected.

Read More
1184 Words | 5 Pages

To begin with, we must have some history on fishing worldwide, but most of the entire North American continent, in the Atlantic. Ocean fishes have been shot by humans for hundreds of years. Due to overfishing, they are beyond their maximum sustainable yields. Scientists are not sure if the rising water temperatures are responsible for poor egg hatching or UV radiation from reduced ozone, but bottom trawling has had the worst effect. As one after another species of fish have disappeared, commercial fishermen have turned to other species.

Read More
764 Words | 4 Pages

This research may not make me stop eating this fish but it will make me think more carefully of how much I eat it. Salmon is a fish so it must be fed. I always though they just gave it a fish food with all the nutrients they need to be able to live. Then when I dove into an article by the Huffington post, I was shocked to see that they are feed small fish that contain antibodies and pesticides. Also in an article by Farmedanddangerous I was surprised to learn what the salmon`s food was eating.

Read More
487 Words | 2 Pages

A popular question that is currently roaming America is, what kind of fish is safe to eat? First, there are two methods the U.S. meets their seafood supply, they are wild caught and farm raised fish. They both have their pros and cons, but I believe farm raised fish is known to be a better option due to many reasons. I advocate that 100 percent of the U.S. seafood supply should come from farm-raised fish. There are many reasons on why I advocate this, which are; the price, the nutritional benefits and due to the less obstruction of the ocean’s ecosystems.

Read More
1115 Words | 5 Pages

First of all, Commercial fishing is regulated. Commercial fishers cannot fish in specific areas that are set aside. This helps ensure that plenty of salmon reach their rivers. Another way is by using fish ladders to help salmon pass barriers like dams. Fish ladders are are series of small man-made waterfalls that allow salmon to progress upstream.

Read More
1846 Words | 8 Pages

Their meat has the same taste and color, the texture is almost identical, it’s less expensive, and since it doesn’t feed off the bottom haddock is a cleaner option.  As far as awareness goes, the only thing to be done is spread the word. If more people knew about this situation, more support would grow to save these gorgeous fish. It is hard to pass laws and regulations, without support. The lawmakers and officials only assist the side with more people backing it up.

Read More
313 Words | 2 Pages

Problems, causes & solutions. With physical ageing individuals are prone to disease and tend to lose mobility due to which they need constant assistance for the conduct of their daily chores. This is troublesome and stressful for the loved ones of the individuals who are unable to unable to sacrifice their source of income, careers and busy schedules to continuously tend to them and in instances also lack in knowledge and ability to help them. Caring Hands Residential Living offers a solution and for the resolution of the special needs of the seniors to the next of kin of such individuals. Caring Hands assumes the responsibility of tending to the elderly and enabling the transition to their late life happy, comfortable and easy.

Read More
1557 Words | 7 Pages

As the demand for food security continues to escalate worldwide, rates of wild marine life have continued to decline exponentially. In response to these environmental concerns, many commercially run fishing companies have resorted to aquaculture farming practices. Aquaculture is the cultivation and production of marine life, and plants. This fishing practice has recently been used to meet the global demand for seafood distribution (The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2016. Contributing to food security and nutrition for all., 2017), which is on the rise as global population increases.

Read More
731 Words | 3 Pages

("Salmon Information, Facts, and Photos") This decrease is causing a lack of nutrients in the water and forests. Are ecosystem relies on salmon more than we realize people need to do more for the salmon by not completely taking over and controlling the reproduction and environment that the salmon live in? The world needs salmon and us humans need to decide if they are willing to give up their control on the salmon to save

Read More
899 Words | 4 Pages

Around the world, three billion people rely on catching and eating fish to stay alive (World wildlife). Taking that away would result in economic destruction. Not everyone can go to the store and buy food for their families so they rely on going out and catching fish in the ocean to provide. This can not be taken away from people's everyday lives, it just needs to be done in a safe way. Commercial fishing can help fish populations if done correctly.

Read More
1288 Words | 6 Pages

In between 1970 and 2012, the global marine population of fish dropped by 49 percent (World Wildlife Fund, 2015). This means that within the last 40 years we have harvested half of the entire oceans fish population. The world’s fish supply has already dropped substantially, and our consumption of it has only risen. The only way for us to meet this increased demand is for us to find a substitute to fishing, one which doesn’t have the drawbacks that commercial fishing does and that can meet the increasing population’s increasing demands. We must find an alternative to commercial marine fishing because of the massive amount of damage that the fishing industry causes.

Read More
1235 Words | 5 Pages

Millions upon millions of people rely on fish for protein, and fishing is so much of the livelihood for millions of people around the world (overfishing). There are a lot of recreational fishermen that complain about the laws we have in place to protect fish, such as a size requirement and limit per day. These laws are put in place by the state to help prevent a species from being over fished. The definition of over fishing is to deplete the number of fish in a body of water by too much fishing. Overfishing is very harmful to the ecosystem, taking a species close to extinction or completely extinct.

Read More

More about Genetically Engineered Salmon Case Study

Related Topics

Open Document