by Nicole Yu, staff reporter

AquAdvantage salmon, genetically modified (GM) salmon, was made by AquaBounty Technologies and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] on November 19th.

AquaBounty Technologies asked the FDA for approval for the AquAdvantage salmon five years ago, but since they were such a small company, it wasn’t approved by the FDA.

Many consumers are against the idea of GM salmon because if it is released into the water, it might affect the wild salmon by damaging the ecosystem. They might produce eggs with regular salmon, which could change the genetic species of the salmon, and it might also affect human health, causing cancer in the future.

“I would still eat the wild salmon because it seems safer since we don’t really know that much about the GM salmon,” junior Cleo Zhang said.

Although the FDA approved this GM salmon, many people still don’t think it’s safe to eat. But the FDA states that the salmon is safe and also nutritious.

“GM salmon can be both good and bad because it can help save salmon by not killing them, but it also might be bad because you don’t know what they put into the GM salmon so you wouldn’t know what you’re putting into your body,” junior Sophie Chianese said.

GM salmon contains some kind of “drug” that makes them able to produce faster. Even though it is safe to consume, many stores like Target, Costco, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, Safeway, and Whole Foods refuse to carry it.

A perk of the GM salmon is that they can grow to market weight in 18-20 months compared to average salmon, which grows in 28-36 months. Also, if they do escape, they are planted with steriles to prevent them from reproducing.
They can also save salmons’ lives not by capturing and selling them, but instead using GM salmon to replace them.