GM salmon opponents herald end of large-scale production of adult fish on P.E.I.
A company that pioneered genetically modified salmon in Canada has stopped production at its Prince Edward Island facility of adult fish for sale, prompting celebrations from industry critics.
AquaBounty said in a release today that with most of its production now focused on the United States market, it will instead use its P.E.I. facility to produce eggs and broodstock -- adult fish used for breeding.
The U.S.-based company says it will expand production in P.E.I. of conventional salmon eggs to be sold into the North American market, adding that it will still produce transgenic eggs on the Island for its facility in Indiana.
Sharon Labchuk, a spokeswoman for the GMO Free P.E.I. coalition, calls the news a "victory," as various group have vigorously petitioned grocers not to sell the genetically modified fish.
In 2021, conservation charity Nature Canada and Quebec-based Vigilance OGM launched a campaign offering a $500 reward for any information about the first salmon sold from the facility in Rollo Bay, P.E.I.
Nature Canada spokesman Mark Butler says he is pleased by the announcement, saying it reduces one of the many threats to endangered, wild Atlantic salmon in Atlantic Canada and New England.
Conservation groups have been critical of Ottawa for not requiring the company to label the salmon as genetically modified, arguing that the fish or eggs may one day escape during transport and pose risks to unmodified salmon stocks.
However, the company says in its release that transgenic salmon eggs produced for its farms in the United States are female and sterile, adding that there are multiple physical barriers to prevent escape.
"In addition, rigorous testing is done to ensure non-transgenic eggs are produced and verified separately," the company said.
The Rollo Bay facility was completed in 2019 and received financing from the P.E.I. government, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the federal Fisheries Department. The company said in 2021 that it had been selling the fish grown at the Island facility.
Mary Boyd of the MacKillop Centre for Social Justice in P.E.I. says the provincial and federal governments shouldn't have subsidized the company, calling that decision a "risky use of taxpayers' money."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.