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The difference between farmed Atlantic salmon, salmon domestics, and genetically modified farmed salmon, AquaAdvantage, is that AquaAdvantage is a genetically engineered species that is altered to produce a better product yield. AquaAdvantage produces sterile, female, Atlantic salmon, that have been modified to have higher growth genes. This means that they will have a larger biomass than wild salmon, and them being made sterile means there is no risk of escapes interbreeding with the wild populations. It is an entirely man made reproductive process that produces the greatest yield of fish. In theory, this is a great discovery and process for how to farm salmon more effectively. And I think that if you are going to farm salmon, then you should do it the right way, and create basically a whole new species that is bread just for food production, at its most maximum efficiency. Instead of mixing farmed salmon/ salmon domestics with wild populations, you simple create a whole new genetic track of fish that is able to produce and meet the quotas on its own. That way you can keep the wild populations separate from any type of human interaction in reproduction. The idea that “genetic engineering is the obvious next technological step in the history of human’s cultivating our food”, I’d say, is very valid. of coarse, there is more research to be done on all the negative effects of altering organisms genes, and using them for economically benefit and production of food. But for the most part, creating a better species that better fits the needs for human life and supplying the world with food I think is a step in the right direction, and it is going to become necessary in the near future because of the sheer population growth going on in the world, and the dwindling natural resources struggling to supply the world with sustainable food.
Let me start by saying wow. The fact that you see the utility and good that can come from salmon farming is great. It is not a popular view, especially amongst fisheries students. Personnally, I wish there were a “magical” solution to meeting the market demand through wild salmon but there just isn’t. Additionally, I think that the most important steps in the future is developing feeds for these farms that don’t compete with wild stocks and figuring out how to eliminate the environmental effects of salmon farming. I still won’t let my friends eat farmed fish but for everyone else in the lower 48 and the rest of the world I guess it’s ok.
Not gonna lie, I really enjoyed reading that someone personally sees the good in farming fish as a positive way of sustaining society, as this is rare coming from fisheries students, your outlook and approach on it is enlightening however, likewise with Ron, I’m sticking to eating wild Salmon.
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