Waiter: May I have the Frankenfish?

[marylander1940]

The Food and Drug Administration OK’d AquaAdvantage salmon, a captivity-raised fish that grows twice as fast as wild salmon and could help meet the world’s growing food demands and ease pressure on fisheries.

 

Critics have dubbed the AquaAdvantage salmon as “Frankenfish” and for five years successfully pressured the administration to withhold approval.

 

That the FDA finally weighed in on the side of sound science is to its credit.

 

While consumer and wildlife groups have raised all sorts of hysterical alarms about the fish — that it will cause human allergies, that it may escape into oceans and destroy the natural salmon population — the FDA dismissed those concerns as not supported by evidence.

 

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/editorials/2015/11/23/opinion-fda-salmon-fish-food-fisheries/76227700/

[MrMiniver]

For all the people who moan and complain about stuff like this and about engineered crops: without them there would be a lot more dead people in the Third World from famine. These kinds of things save people's lives. You'd think people would care about a thing like that.

[+ friendofsheila]

Once again, humans think that applying more technology to a problem is the solution, instead of prudent use of our procreative abilities and our natural resources.

 

Progress has become a f***ing religion.

[seaboy4hire]

I'm not really sure how I feel about this. On one hand I don't want anyone to starve but on the other I don't like the idea of genetically editing food. Although I know I am guilty of eating such things. I assume that this is going to be farm raised and I worry about all the antibiotics that might be fed to the fish. I rarely eat, at least not knowingly farm raised fish because one, most of it comes from China and two because of the antibiotics.

 

Hugs,

Greg

[Guest]

 

While consumer and wildlife groups have raised all sorts of hysterical alarms about the fish — that it will cause human allergies, that it may escape into oceans and destroy the natural salmon population — the FDA dismissed those concerns as not supported by evidence.

 

The last concern is certainly a very real one (i.e. that it may escape into the ocean and destroy the natural salmon population). Invasive species have been major problems in a number of ecosystems. I certainly wouldn't call it "hysterical."

http://www.regions.noaa.gov/great-lakes/index.php/great_lakes-restoration-initiative/invasive-species/