Salmon

Description of product

Salmon, originally a rare and expensive delicacy, is today one of the most enjoyed forms of edible fish. It is no longer caught wild, and comes almost exclusively from fish farms.

• In Norway alone, the salmon production between 1980 and 1995 rose from 4400 to 250 000 tons a year.
• Salmon has developed into the main product of pisciculture ahead of the traditional fresh water fish trout and carp.
• See also: fish, tinned fish

Possible application of gene technology

Research into genetically modified salmon is being carried out in different countries. The aims are:

• faster growth and higher weight through the transfer or regulation of genes for growth hormones.
• adaptation to lower temperatures through the transfer of genes for "anti-frost proteins"
• resistance against pathogens (bacteria, viruses)

In the USA, one company is planning to market GM-salmon with an increased rate of growth. Approval has not yet been granted by the authorities. No approval has yet been sought in the EU and is not expected in the next few years.

Animal feed: Gene technology could possibly be applied for some of the food additives used in salmon farming:

• enzymes such as xylanase, cellulase, glucanase and phytase
• vitamins, such as vitamin B2, vitamin B12, vitamin C and biotin
• amino acids, e.g. lysine
• the colouring beta carotene (pink flesh colour) in salmon and trout farming
• in the EU, the use of a GM-growth hormone for salmon fish farming has been approved since 1997. This growth hormone is produced by genetically modified E. coli bacteria (Somatosalm from Pharos, Belgium).

Labelling of feedstuffs: it is obligatory to label animal feed that contain raw materials or additives that originate from genetically modified organisms. It is not necessary to label foodstuffs such as milk, meat, or eggs from animals that have been fed with such animal feed.