Genetically Altered Salmon Swim Closer

9-09-2010 @8:31AM Pamela J said... Genetically altered anything should scare the h**l out of everyone. We have no idea what problems the alterations could cause down the line....increased human birth defects come immediately to mind. Every time man has attempted to "improve" the ecology, we end up with disasters. (See: damming rivers, New Orleans, rabbits in Australia, "killer" African bees, voracious Asian fish in North American waters ways, and so forth.) Will these fish crowd out native species? It's far past time to stop fooling with things with which we have no business. Is a fatter fish worth endangering future generations? There are just too many unanswered questions and we should learn from past mistakes and stop this dangerous meddling now. (To clarify-New Orleans should never have been built in it's present location; it will be destroyed again and again because the delta is totally unsuited for permanent habitation. All the money wasted on rebuilding would have been better spent on relocating to a more stable and logical location. The move would save billions of dollars and countless lives. Big name celebrities raising funds are doing the city and the citizens no favor.)

9-09-2010 @11:58AM KEVIN said... VERY SUPERFICIAL COMMENT BY SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT DONE HIS HOMEWORK------EDUCATE YOURSELF JACK-----

9-09-2010 @12:56PM David said... Some time ago, Atlantic Salmon were brought to the Northwest and we were assured that they didn't pose any risk. First, they'd never escape to the wild. Second, if they DID escape the fish farms, they'd never survive. Third, if they did survive, they'd never reproduce and prosper. Nature proved them wrong on all three counts, and the Atlantic salmon are crowding out the Pacific variety. What will happen when these fast-growing fish escape?

Also remember, they're designing these fish for fast growth, not for edibility. Remember what has happened to the taste of the store-brought tomato?

9-09-2010 @2:18PM Joellen Hall said... Instead of spending millions to figure out how to genetically alter ANYTHING IN NATURE, we should be spending millions on coming up with ways to live on this planet without killing it. It seems ludicrous to me that we have a government trying to force cap and trade on us to penalize our energy use instead of just creating the jobs to research and develop new energy. Obama wanted to "stimulate" the country to creat jobs? Then why didn't he use the stimulus money to actually create and develop new energy. Millions of the unemployed might even now be working in the energy field of he had. Alternating the genetic integrity of a species seems to me a STUPID and inadequate manipulation of our world. Why don't we learn how to utilize what's already available to us.

9-09-2010 @2:53PM Dee said... This is for TOM and PAMELA J.

You idiots, New Orleans was founded in 1718 that is almost 300 years ago. How the hell did people know back then, that one day a man made levee system would fail and cause such devastation? For your information when the city was first settled it was built on a ridge created from the Miss. River and was above sea level. The original settlement of the French Quarter, later settlement, the Garden District and Esplanade/Treme District (built on the Esplanade Ridge) were built on these ridges.
Because The Port of New Orleans was the gateway for goods, slaves etc. the city's popularity grew along with its population. This created the need to expand beyond the high elevated sections of the city, to parts that were swampland and marshes. Those areas were drained and the building boom began. In addition to the shipping Port of New Orleans, the city is also a major hub for distribution of commodities by railway/train. Fruit from South and Central America, exotic wood you name it, comes through the Port of New Orleans. This is why 100 years ago or 50 years ago this city was and still is so important.
There is so much to New Orleans than Katrina, the food, crime, the Quarters. You people are clueless. The city was originally a colony where France sent its prisoners to suffer in mosquito infested marshes and was not planned for a population influx.
100 years ago the marsh lands south of the original city of New Orleans (the French Quarter) were triple the size they are now, filled with cypress trees and grasses that yielded protection from storm surges. The levee system also caused the water table in the city to drop and is responsible for much of the sinking you spoke of. South of the city, the levee system contributed to the destruction of marsh land by discontinuing the Miss. River's natural deposit of silt the marshes needed for replenishment.
Yes it has its problems, but in so many ways it is a vital part of America's past and future.
Before you bash New Orleans, do your research! Towns in the midwest that are located on plains and prairies get hit by tornadoes every year and those towns still rebuild. The don't have a port or rail system that is import to the nation. (ever thought of why there aren't any trees on the plains? hello! tornadoes blow them all down! so why build in an area where you know is prone to natural disaster? tornadoes occur much more than cat 5 hurricanes) Isn't this your question? See my point. When you are rotten, dead and gone, New Orleans will be living on, another hundred years. Levees and all.

9-09-2010 @9:48AM Carl Angers said... Allen is completely correct. From the first days when man selectively let a certain bull breed a certain cow or found he could put two superior plants side by side and get an even better plant from their seed, man has been manipulating genetics. All this is doing is speeding up a process that may take thousands of years. And most of the people whining on this comment page have little qualms about genetic manipulation when it comes to stem cells.

9-09-2010 @3:02PM Busch said... Actually, there is a difference between selective breeding and altering the genetics of a species. If you read the article, they have taken one gene from a different species (ocean pout... whatever that is) and altered the salmon.

Breeding cows or chickens until they can't move doesn't bother me all that much, but taking a gene sequence from a plant or insect or animal and altering another plant or animal with those genes to produce a more disease resistent, or faster growing, or cold resistent something or other for humans to eat is a scary road to go down. All it takes is one staple product (like corn) to have an "Oh, we didn't realize that would happen" moment 30 years down the line to really f things up.

9-09-2010 @10:35AM Kelly said... This not Franken Food this is a naturally occuring gene that has been spliced into the genome of a different salmon. Taken from another type of salmon. Its not like they artificially created a new gene with no idea as to how it will function. Like someone else pointed out Man has been changing the genomes of most of the animals he has come in contact with for the last ten thousand years. Beginning with dogs. Evry plant we cross breed is a genetic modification done by a different process. All this has done is eliminate the extra time and the middle man. These fish don't grow fatter They grow to full maturity for market in half the time. Seeing that no one is concerned about over population of the planet we need to find ways of producing more food in less time. This is a step in that direction. The alternative is to just continue to over fish the oceans until there is nothing left.......sea cucumber anyone?

9-09-2010 @9:11PM Mim said... Scientist are killing the human race? Medical scientists have done more extend the human condition than nature. Let nature take it's course with you, but for me, I'll take the anitbiotics, sugeries, medications, etc to keep me alive.

9-09-2010 @10:49AM Laura Jones said... Simply put if the FDA gives the OK on the modified salmon and we have no idea which salmon has been modified then I will NOT EAT ANY SALMON . I think it is wrong to jump so quickly into this unknown when there is a chance that they could be wrong .There may be things they have yet to consider. We have a long list of drugs recalled every year. Remember lead pant and asbestos products were once thought of as safe.

9-09-2010 @1:23PM Rachel said... Of course it's safe...... The company that "created" this fish is the one doing the testing for the FDA..what else are they gonna say??? It's crazy that they are allowed to do the testing on their own product to determine if it's safe.

If this passes the FDA, I'll just stop eating salmon all together, especially with the "no label required". We should be allowed to choose if we want to eat modified foods or not!!

9-09-2010 @9:08AM Jo said... I agree. Salmon is the best food for your health and they want to alter it and take it away. What is left to eat? We have all this junk from China and altered food!! I guess I'll live on vegetables, I grow myself.

9-09-2010 @10:41AM Chris said... Funny if your a vegetarian? Why are you throwing eggs?