What Exactly is Transgenic Salmon
What is transgenic salmon?
Transgenic is a general term to describe a genetically-engineered organism that has another species’ genetic information incorporated into its genetic make-up. Another word that describes the modification to an organism's genetic material is genetic engineering, a term which describes the manipulation of DNA to change traits of an organism.
The transgenic salmon, known by the product name AquAdvantage by AquaBounty Technology, is a genetically modified salmon, containing genes from other fish species in order to grow at a faster rate and to a larger total size.
The AquAdvantage salmon grows at about twice the rate of wild Atlantic salmon, reaching a suitable market weight in 18 months as opposed to three years. The protein technology used to create the genetically-modified salmon was licensed from the University of Toronto and Memorial University, where it was developed, by AquaBounty Technology. Initially the focus of AquaBounty Technology was on the production of a protein that would make farmed fish better suited to freezing waters. However, the marketability of the AquAdvantage Salmon arises from the increased speed of growth.
Currently, the US Food and Drug Administration are in the process of reviewing AquaBounty’s application for approval of bringing this genetically-modified organism to market. In 2010, it was approved as safe for human consumption, but the product still awaits further processing and consultation before it will be made available for purchase.