The Use of Genetically Modified Salmon

The Use of Genetically Modified Salmon

Throughout history there has always been a need to produce large quantities of crops and livestock which contain the most desirable phenotype. Farmers select for these desirable traits on the most fundamental level employing techniques such as selective breeding and the use of fertilizers. However with the ever growing expansion of today's society the ability to produce sufficient resources using conventional agricultural methods is limited. The science of biotechnology has created a way to substantially increase the production of these limited resources. Biotechnology has allowed us to manipulate DNA leading to the creation of organisms expressing the most profitable traits. Aquatic biotechnology is a branch of biotechnology which is related to the marine environment. Recently the focus of aquatic biotechnology has been on fish production, specifically the production of Salmon.

Every new application of gene manipulation brings about benefits and risks. The purpose of this paper is to further explore the benefits and risks of genetically modified salmon and their associated ecological impacts. Genetically modified salmon are being used to increase quality food supplies, to meet the demands of expanding human populations and to protect the species itself. Genetically modified salmon have economic value and serve as the solution to problems in the salmon industry. Genetic modification is thereby advantageous to fish farming industries that are having difficulty maintaining adequate wild salmon populations. Ultimately the goal of genetically modified salmon is to replenish wild salmon by relieving pressure imposed on the natural populations. However, these methods of manipulation not only affect the salmon but may also affect us, the consumers.

Method of Production

Transgenic salmon are produced by transferring specific genes containing the desired traits into newly fertilized eggs using the method of microinjection. Initially the genes are isolated from the host species, the genes are entered into a plasmid that is then replicated inside a bacteria. Millions of copies are made. The gene is then separated from the bacteria creating a linear piece of DNA. The cultivated DNA is injected into fertilized fish eggs. After the eggs hatch the fish that have successfully incorporated the gene into their genotype will be used to create a breeding stock of fish that display the desired trait.

Industry Increases Food Supply through Aquatic Biotechnology

Genetically modified salmon are being used by industries to solve the global problem of over-fishing and depletion of the natural salmon population. There is an increasing stress on the fishing industries caused by growing populations, mainly in Asia, Africa, and South America. Approximately 2.3 million tonnes of wild and farmed salmon smelts and sea trout were harvested in 2000, compared to 625, 000 tonnes in 1975 (Muir, 2004). Additionally, the food and agricultural organization of the United Nations estimates that the worldwide demand for fish will increase to 110 million tons in 2010 (Aerni, 2004). Although the need for salmon is increasing, the abundance of wild salmon is decreasing and salmon is facing depletion. In order to compensate for the financial loss caused by salmon depletion, industries have made many internal structural changes. Industries have made employment cuts, in an attempt to redirect funds into fishing fleets. By decreasing the number of employees and increasing the number of fishing vessels, companies are attempting to meet the increasing salmon demands. With the ever increasing need for salmon as a commodity, companies are consistently engaged in an arms race in an attempt to catch more salmon than the competition.

Aquatic Biotechnology has started an aquacultural revolution, offering further enhancement of agricultural productivity. This sudden surge of technology has allowed us to not only increase the abundance of salmon, but to produce salmon with characteristics that make them easier to farm as well as more efficient as a food source. The problems discussed before the advent of biotechnology have since been diminished and the salmon industry is rapidly consolidating. Salmon scarcity has been replaced by massive overproduction, and independent fisheries turned into industries with massive scale economies. New salmon markets have also evolved in South East Asia and Eastern Europe where about 550,000 tonnes of salmon are sold (Aerni, 2004).

Characteristics Making Salmon a Potential Food Source

Although the FDA has yet to approve transgenic salmon for human consumption, genetic modification creates characteristics that could potentially render transgenic salmon as a viable food source. Such modifications, which do not occur in wild type salmon, allow for characteristics such as enhanced growth rate, which serve to increase the amount of fish that can be produced per year, the maximum body size, length and weight that adults are able to reach. Salmon are able to reach maturity in a shorter amount of time, due to the fact that transgenic salmon possess genes for growth enhancement and have an average hatch date earlier than that for wild salmon (Devlin et al., 621). Growth enhanced salmon also reach larger body sizes. They are able to grow 4-6 times bigger than wild salmon of the same age (Niiler). This enhancement in size increases the nutritional value per salmon, and reduces the amount of salmon that would be considered too small to sell. Salmon modified metabolically allow them to improve their nutrient use leading to decreases in industrial pollution and farming costs. If each individual transgenic salmon is able to survive on less food, then the same amount of food will satisfy the nutritional requirement of more transgenic salmon compared to wild type. This will lead once again to the production of more transgenic salmon available for consumption. Creating transgenic salmon that are able to tolerate colder weather, allow for industrial expansion into colder climates. This is beneficial as the dispersal of genetically modified salmon into new geographical areas could potentially introduce a new untapped resource for commercial fisherman. If industries relocated to these colder climates where there is decreased stress on ecological resources and decreased competition between fisheries, then they would likely experience higher production and increased financial gain. The increased productivity that is the result of these different genetic modifications, could potentially lead to a dramatic reduction in the retail cost of salmon. For example a 1% decrease in the cost of salmon production will lead to a 0.165% drop