Scientists make fish grow faster, and

U.S. experts say it's safe to eat

By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 12.09.15
Word Count 418

Frankie Ragusa, general manager of Seattle distribution for Ocean Beauty Seafoods, carries a 40-pound Copper River
salmon after its arrival at the Sea-Tac Airport outside Seattle, Washington, May 17, 2013. It was part of the rst shipment
of the season of Copper River salmon from Cordova, Alaska. AP/Ted S. Warren, File

WASHINGTON, D.C. People eat salmon all the time. It is a very popular sh for dinner.
Soon there may be a salmon on your dinner plate that is a little strange. Scientists have
made a new type of salmon. They changed its genes. It has been genetically modied.

Genes are passed down by parents. Genes decide what someone looks like and how their
body works. They make a person have wavy or straight hair, or blue or brown eyes. Plants,
animals and people all have genes.

Scientists put genes from other sh into the new salmon. They wanted the sh to grow
faster.

Salmon Will Get To Stores In 2 Years

On Thursday, the government approved the new salmon. It said the sh is safe to eat. This
is the rst time the government has approved a genetically modied sh. The new
salmon could be in food stores in just two years. That is how long it takes to grow.

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The new sh is called AquAdvantage Salmon.

A company named AquaBounty makes AquAdvantage. Ron Stotish is in charge of

AquaBounty. He said AquAdvantage brings healthy food to people. It does not hurt the
ocean, he said.

The new sh looks just like any other salmon. AquaBounty does not have to write on
the package that the sh is different. People may not even know they are buying it.

A few stores say they will not sell the modied sh.

Some People Say It's A Bad Idea

Some people worry that AquaBounty could cause allergies. They also worry that it could
escape from farms. Then it might mix with other salmon. If that happened, they think
natural salmon would die.

"There's no place on our dinner plates for genetically engineered sh," Lisa Archer said.
She works for a nature group. Archer said it is not a good idea to sell the sh. She said it
has not been studied enough.

Lisa Murkowski is a lawmaker. She represents the state of Alaska. The new salmon could
hurt the shermen in her state. They catch wild salmon. They are worried about their jobs.
She wants a new law. It would force AquaBounty to change its package. It would have to
say that the sh is modied.

AquaBounty had to share information about the salmon with the government. Then the
government decided the sh was safe.

AquaBounty hopes people will start to feel OK about the new salmon soon. It might
happen as they learn more about it, said Stotish of AquaBounty.

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