Mar 14, 2010: Muscle Trout

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Elspode

Cripes. What happens when these mutant motherfuckers get loose in the perfect Idaho trout stream?

They will escape. We'll know soon enough.

[jinx]

Maybe they'll eat the snakeheads.

[Glinda]

If you happened to catch one of these things, would you eat it? I mean, LOOK at it.

Ok, so these freaks have 15 to 20 percent more muscle mass. What do they TASTE like, and more importantly, what will ingesting these genetically altered fish muscles do to my muscles?



Besides the ick-factor issues, there are other problems with these fish. From a related story:

Risks Involved With Transgenic Fish

More resistant to toxins

For example, transgenic fish can be more resistant to environmental toxins, which could entail the accumulation of toxins that ultimately end up in consumers. There are also misgivings that the higher level of growth hormone in the fish can affect people. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have therefore been commissioned by the EU to study the environmental effects of GMO (genetically modified organisms) within fish farming. The results of the studies show that the genetically modified fish should be treated with great care.

Simulated escapes

Sundström, PhD at the Department of Zoology, has studied transgenic salmon and rainbow trout to ascertain what ecological risks they might constitute for the natural environment. The study, which simulated escapes in a laboratory environment, shows that transgenic fish have a considerably greater effect on the natural environment than hatchery-reared non-transgenic fish when they escape. For example, genetically modified fish survive better when there is a shortage of food, and benefit more than non-transgenic fish from increasing water temperatures.

"It is probably due to the fact that genetically modified fish have a greater ability to compete and are better at converting food," says Sundström.

Natural breeds are under threat

If transgenic fish become established in natural stocks they would be able to outcompete the natural breeds. However, conducting studies in a laboratory environment that imitates nature is complicated, which makes it difficult to predict how escaped transgenic fish affect the natural environment. Sundström's conclusion is that international consensus is required before commercial farming can be permitted, and that a precautionary principle must be applied.