AquAdvantage salmon

Fish-farmed Atlantic salmon growth rates have already been improved over wild fish as a result of traditional selective breeding practices.

[2] AquAdvantage salmon were the first genetically engineered animals approved for human consumption in the United States and Canada.

[7] The stability of the new DNA construct was tested, revealing no additional mutational effects during insertion other than the two desired genes.

[1] These GM fish were back-crossed (a two-generation breeding protocol that starts by generating a hybrid offspring between two inbred strains, one of them carrying the mutation of interest) to wild-type Atlantic salmon, and the genetically modified EO-1ɑ gene sequence was identical in the second through fourth generations, indicating that the insertion is stable.

[6]: 97  As part of the regulatory process, the FDA required data on whether changes occur in the kinds or levels of fish allergens (such as parvalbumin) in AquAdvantage.

[10] Other human health concerns arise due to the increased hormone content in the edible tissue of transgenic fish.

[12][13] To address concerns about biological containment, the FDA requires AquaBounty to take precautionary measures to ensure that transgenic fish do not mix with the wild population.

[8] In September 2010, an FDA advisory panel indicated that the fish is "highly unlikely to cause any significant effects on the environment" and that it is "as safe as food from conventional Atlantic salmon".

[18] However, a rider to a spending bill signed into law on December 18, 2015 by President Obama bans its import until the FDA mandates labels for the genetically modified product.

[19][20] The decision marks the first time a genetically modified animal has been approved to enter the United States food supply.

"[21][22] One month later, language was introduced into a proposed federal spending bill requiring consumer notification that the fish is genetically modified.