Sale of genetically modified salmon approved in Canada

[Dog]

Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have approved the sale of a genetically modified salmon that are given growth hormones in order to reach the market sooner.
The agencies announced the approval of AquAdvantage salmon on Thursday afternoon.
The salmon is given the growth hormone gene from Chinook salmon, which is introduced into the genome of Atlantic salmon. The result is salmon that grows faster and reaches market size quicker.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/sale-of-genetically-modified-salmon-approved-in-canada-1.2909271


I'm vegan

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[John Price]

It was also in the news the other day that GMO crops are safe to consume but don't always deliver on promises

IMO they should all be labeled. I don't want to eat a GMO crop inadvertently

"but u already eat gmo crops now. man has gmo crops for centuries."

 

[Buck Aki Berg]

If Penn Jillette didn't swear so much, there's a video I'd post.

 

[S A W F T*]

Is it safe for vegans to eat now?

 

[Knave]

Is it safe for vegans to eat now?

Yeah there's no animal products in it anymore because GMO is a really scary acronym and it scared all the animal products out of the salmon.

 

[jasonleaffan]

I'm all for it, if it means my weekly purchase of salmon heads will be cheaper.

 

[tony d]

Interesting, not sure how I feel about eating something else that is genetically modified.

 

[Bee Sheriff]

 

[aleshemsky83]

If Penn Jillette didn't swear so much, there's a video I'd post.

And I'm sure it would be a horribly oversimplified and one sided video

Food labeling absolutely needs to catch up with this stuff, same as milk and chicken and beef and so on. Not just salmon

 

[tarheelhockey]

"but u already eat gmo crops now. man has gmo crops for centuries."

But it's true. People don't seem to understand what GMO actually means on a practical level. It's more of a moral argument than a scientific one.

 

[AnAceOfKidneys]

I'm all for it, if it means my weekly purchase of salmon heads will be cheaper.

There's nothing like a good feed of salmon heads.

 

[aleshemsky83]

Look, there's a difference between breeding pea plants and pumping livestock full of steroids and growth hormone

Growth hormone being used on cows has been banned in most western countries, if they're going to start allowing it on other animals we need new labeling

 

[tarheelhockey]

Look, there's a difference between breeding pea plants and pumping livestock full of steroids and growth hormone

What specifically is the difference between breeding pea plants with a growth gene and breeding fish with a growth gene?

 

[JS19]

Look, there's a difference between breeding pea plants and pumping livestock full of steroids and growth hormone

Growth hormone being used on cows has been banned in most western countries, if they're going to start allowing it on other animals we need new labeling

You do realize steroids and growth hormone aren't modifications at the genetic level? GMs (FAIK) always involve breeding a specific gene into an animal/plant to maximize on a benefit.

For instance, this beast of a cow resulted from a mutation where muscle development is emphasized over fat building. And has since been bred for this ability over generations of cows in an attempt to solve the growing meat demand.

Not sure what you were trying to get at.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Trainers HATE that cow!!!!

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Holy cow!!!

 

[John Price]

What the ****

 

[aleshemsky83]

What specifically is the difference between breeding pea plants with a growth gene and breeding fish with a growth gene?

I'm not talking specifically about gmos, I'm talking about just what I said.

Animals being pumped full of hormones and steroids. the article said genetically modified salmon that are given growth hormone double whammy

There needs to be more strict labelling on these products if this type of thing is going to be allowed.

 

[aleshemsky83]

I think I'm gonna be on team TJ pretty soon

You're anti science if you believe your meat shouldn't be roided to the t*ts.

What a world

 

[tarheelhockey]

I'm not talking specifically about gmos, I'm talking about just what I said.

Animals being pumped full of hormones and steroids. the article said genetically modified salmon that are given growth hormone double whammy

There needs to be more strict labelling on these products if this type of thing is going to be allowed.

With all due respect, because I do believe you have a sincere concern for this issue, the bolded is an example of the information gap that causes unnecessary panic over GMOs.

1) The fish are not being "pumped full of hormones". The article does not indicate that they will be given ANY foreign chemicals, so there is no double whammy.

2) In this example of GM, the whole point is to take advantage of hormones that the salmon are ALREADY producing naturally. Every time you eat a wild-caught salmon, you are ALREADY eating that hormone.

3) The way this works is that instead of producing that hormone during a limited part of its life, the salmon's hormone "switch" is always set to "on", so it gets to adult size faster. That does not mean it's a different animal, it just grows faster. Similar to putting fertilizer on your garden, where you're not making unnatural vegetables... you're just growing them faster than they would in the wild.

4) The one legit objection that environmental groups are raising is that these salmon could escape into the wild and spread their genes, causing wild salmon to become overgrown and creating an imbalance in the ecosystem. That's why, as stated in one of the links embedded in that article, the company is only growing sterile females, in a land-based farm with no connection to outside waterways.

Again, I respect your concern and I think it's important that the process of GM approval be strictly managed and highly accountable. There should be zero margin for error -- but that is not the same as giving an automatic "no" to every discovery, which is what anti-GM groups demand. They simply do not understand or acknowledge the hard science that backs these decisions by health authorities.

 

[JustGivingEr]

Health Canada here I come

 

[PaGEEsBack]

A true yogi sees balance in his world at every turn. You try and 'beat' the game and it'll turn around an' sack you in the nuts harder than you could ever imagine. Balance. Ying and Yang. Peace.

Namaste.

 

[MS]

Atlantic salmon being farmed in Pacific waters is an environmental abomination with or without genetic modification, and should be made illegal.

 

[Mantis]

Trainers HATE that cow!!!!

Lmao

 

[HanSolo]

But is it gluten free?