Fishy Business: Genetic Engineering and Salmon Aquaculture

The AquAdvantage salmon is poised to become the world’s first genetically engineered animal for human consumption. It is a patented fish created and owned by a leading aquaculture technology corporation. The species has been genetically altered so that the fundamental traits and characteristics of an Atlantic salmon are blended with an eel-like species called the ocean pout and a salmon native to the Pacific Ocean, the Chinook. The result is a fish that grows at twice the rate of Atlantic salmon, enabling it to reach a harvestable size in 18 months instead of 3 years. While genetically engineered plants have been readily produced and consumed in the United States, genetic modification of animals represents the next step in the production of genetically engineered foods for human consumption. Thus, the aquaculture industry and corporate investors are championing this development in food biotechnology, as the approval of a genetically modified animal species for human consumption will create new opportunities for profit in this realm of production. As the AquAdvantage salmon nears its regulatory approval, groups within both public and private sectors have put forward coordinated opposition. In 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a ban on commercial production of genetically modified salmon anywhere in the state (Gutierrez, 2014). Kroger and Safeway, the two largest retail grocery companies in the United States, announced at the end of 2014 that they have no plans to sell AquAdvantage salmon even if it is granted US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Approximately 60 other major food retailers have also pledged to not sell genetically engineered salmon (Food Safety News, 2014). This early resistance to producing and selling AquAdvantage salmon is, in part, a response to the vocal opposition from the public. In 2013, the FDA received over 1.8 million comments that were overwhelmingly opposed to the regulatory approval of this experimental animal. Detractors propose that there may be serious harmful outcomes associated with the production and consumption of genetically modified food, including environmental problems and human health risks. Proponents extol the potential benefits, including increased food production and environmental benefits. These broad-brushed characterizations leave much unanalyzed and unexplained. To provide a more comprehensive understanding of the development of genetically modified salmon and the current debates surrounding its approval, we present a historical overview of changes in salmon fisheries and production. Our analysis reveals the economic, political, technological, and cultural factors that shaped the history of genetically engineered salmon. We also consider why salmon is at the forefront of animal biotechnology for human consumption. Rather than being an independent force of development, like all technologies it is a sociohistorical product. We highlight the expansion of global seafood markets, the establishment of salmon aquaculture, and the pursuit of profit in cultivating wealthy sectors of salmon consumption in the Global North. These conditions contribute to the widespread growth of industrial salmon farming techniques and have motivated the application of genetic modification to the species.