March 18, 2019 — If all goes as planned, a Massachusetts biotechnology company will soon begin importing salmon eggs from a Canadian hatchery to its plant in Indiana, where they’ll grow into the first genetically modified salmon ever produced in the United States.
AquaBounty Technologies Inc. won approval for its long-delayed plan last week when federal regulators lifted an importation ban that had prohibited the eggs from entering the country.
But opponents, who deride the new salmon as “Frankenfish,” say the fight will go on and that they’ll ultimately block the company, either in the courts or Congress.
Critics fear the fish might escape and damage wild salmon, and they’re particularly angry that the federal government plans to allow the genetically engineered salmon to be made and sold in the United States without clearly marked labels. The fish’s proponents have said those critics are just being protective of the existing industry’s market share.