Genetically Modified Fish to Hit Store Shelves in US End of Next Year

GM opponents are warning that not only do the fish pose environmental risks, but it won’t be labeled so consumers won’t even know if they are buying it.

Size comparison of an AquAdvantage salmon (background) vs. a non-transgenic Atlantic salmon sibling of the same age (12 months). Canada was the only country where GM salmon could be sold until last month, when the U.S. government reversed an import ban.AquaBounty Technologies

VANCOUVER, Canada—As the United States joins Canada to become the only two countries in the world to sell genetically modified salmon, GM opponents warn that not only does the fish pose environmental risks, but it won’t be labeled, so consumers won’t even know if they are buying it.

In March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted an alert that prevented AquaBounty Technologies from importing GM salmon eggs from a test site in Canada to its facility in Albany, Indiana, where the fish will be modified to grow around twice as fast as regular Atlantic salmon.