GM salmon's global HQ – 1,500m high in the Panamanian rainforest
GM salmon's global HQ 1,500m high in the Panamanian rainforest
Supersized genetically modified salmon grown fast and fat and after years of wrangling, are ready for market but is the market ready for them? And why is the firm hidden away in Panama?
Suzanne Goldenberg
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 24 April 2013 14.34 BST
AquaBounty's GM salmon fish farm in Bajo Mono, near Boquete, western Panama. Photograph: Sheena Rossiter/Avaaz
It is hard to think of a more unlikely setting for genetic experimentation or for raising salmon: a rundown shed at a secretive location in the Panamanian rainforest miles inland and 1,500m above sea level.
But the facility, which is owned by an American company AquaBounty Technologies, stands on the verge of delivering the first genetically modified food animal a fast-growing salmon to supermarkets and dinner tables.
The US government this week enters the final stages of its deliberations on whether to allow commercial production of the GM fish, with a public consultation on the issue ending on Friday . Separately, a committee in Congress on Monday took up a bill that would outlaw GM salmon entirely essentially destroying AquaBounty's commercial prospects in America. If approved, the salmon could be the first of some 30 other species of GM fish under development, including tilapia and trout. Researchers are also working to bring GM cows, chickens and pigs to market.
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Aquabounty's GM salmon fish farm in Boquete, Panama Photo: Sheena Rossiter
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"They tried many countries but they were afraid to start something new," Lauri said. After multiple refusals, the company eventually turned to Panama, where the project won a warm welcome from government officials. Lauri said officials had few concerns about the potential health and environmental risks of growing GM salmon in Panama. "We were not afraid of something new," he said.
A genetically modified salmon, rear, and a non-genetically modified salmon, foreground. Photograph: AP
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/apr/24/genetically-modified-salmon-aquabounty-panama-united-states