The first genetically modified food animal has been approved for sale in Canada.

At a news conference in Ottawa on Thursday, Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced AquaBounty's genetically modified salmon has been approved for sale as food in Canada.

A final round of thorough and rigorous Canadian scientific reviews found that AquAdvantage Salmon is as safe and nutritious as conventional salmon, according to technical briefing documents provided by Health Canada.

The same conclusion was reached by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010, but it took until November 2015 for the agency to approve the fish for sale as food in that country. That decision is being challenged by a group of environmental, consumer, and commercial and recreational fishing organizations.

AquAdvantage Salmon was developed by Massachusetts-based AquaBounty Technologies.

The fish grow twice as fast as conventionally farmed Atlantic salmon because of the addition of genes from a Chinook salmon and an eel known as an ocean pout.

David Fuller's view

Some people will always carp (no pun intended) about genetically modified fish, or anything else.  However, we have been happily consuming innumerable GM foods, commencing with Mendel’s peas, for decades and often without knowing it.

Yes, there could theoretically be risks such as potential food allergies or more importantly, losses of nutritional value.  Also, fisheries can always improve their ability to lower the risks of pollution and the escape of farmed fish into the open seas.

We may never achieve perfection with all GM foods but mankind’s ability to improve on nature is a great scientific and technological achievement.  As with any other vital industry GM foods also need to be carefully and knowledgeably regulated. 

The best of GM foods will be in our future, and a very good thing too.  The advantages of reducing starvation and undernourishment, by raising higher-yielding crops or not entirely emptying the seas of all fish, considerably outweigh the risks. 

Today I undoubtedly eat more farmed salmon and genetically modified vegetables and fruit than anything else.  Thank heavens they are available and affordable.