Could GM Salmon be the first Animal Commercialized for Human Consumption?</

Apr 24, 2013

GM Salmon Expected to Receive U.S. FDA Approval

A company that has developed genetically engineered salmon – AquaBounty Technology Inc. is expecting regulatory approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this year.

The FDA said that the public comment period will close on Friday [April 26th], once the comments are in - it is expected to take 30 to 60 days to review the comments. It could take another 120 days upon review for the FDA to release its decision to either approve or deny the application.

The salmon eggs are engineered to grow fish to market size in half the time of conventional salmon. If approved, GM salmon will be the first animal commercialized for human consumption. Some consumer advocacy groups say that if the application is approved it could destroy the natural salmon population and could pose health risks to humans who eat it.

The approval not only has implications for the U.S., but has a Canadian twist as well. One of the company’s facilities is located in Bay Fortune, P.E.I. Groups who are opposed to the fast-growing salmon have met with P.E.I. politicians urging them to write the FDA to study the impacts of allowing these fish to be farmed.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.