Frankie the Frankenfish

Picture yourself at the supermarket trying to find something good for dinner. You might see some delicious looking salmon; you make the purchase and drive home to have your meal. The thing is, two years down the road you may have just picked out a genetically altered fish designed to grow quickly and so, produce more offspring. This was the issue brought up in the article I recently read, called “Modified Salmon: Miracle Food or "Frankenfish"?” by CBS news. It called attention to the first ever GE (genetically altered) animal soon to be approved by the FDA for human consumption. However, this so called “frankenfish” is facing lots of opposition from critics, many stating that it could cause new allergies and potentially decimate the wild salmon population.

            I thought that this was a very good example of a 21^st century issue. You would never have seen this on a headline a mere ten years ago. I believe that this is one of the main reasons that many people are so opposed to having an altered salmon on their supermarket shelves. The idea is so new right now that no one quite knows what to do with it. Those opposed to the frankenfish do have some other very valid points to consider as well. For example, if any of the GE salmon escape into the wild, their ability to grow much faster than the other salmon (frankenfish are altered to produce their growth hormone throughout the year, unlike wild salmon) will put the already threatened species on the fine line of extinction. However, it is my personal opinion that these fish should be put on store shelves. The FDA says that, other than growing quickly, the fish are exactly the same as normal salmon. The one and only problem I would have is that the GE fish would not be marked separately, meaning that consumers would have no idea if the fish they just chose was not a normal one. I think we have the right to know the difference, and be able to choose which one we want. After all, some years down the road there may be many more extreme GE food products lining the shelves of Kingsoopers, with vastly different genetic traits than the wild members of their species. The American people should be able to make a decision between the two, especially if their religion is in any way involved. But again, I believe that poor little frankenfish should be allowed on store shelves. Who knows? This could be the start of something amazing years down the road.