Aquabounty reduces role of genetically-engineered salmon facilities on P.E.I. | 24CA News
Aquabounty will not be producing fully-grown genetically-engineered salmon on the market as meals at its operations on P.E.I.
Sylvia Wulf, CEO of the Massachusetts-based firm, mentioned P.E.I.’s position within the worldwide firm’s work, in Rollo Bay and Bay Fortune, can be to handle brood inventory, and supply eggs to develop out amenities in Indiana and Ohio.
The P.E.I. facility was constructed as an illustration farm, mentioned Wulf, and is simply too small to proceed producing salmon for market.
“Because it is challenged from a scale perspective, the more that we thought about the competence from our team and how that farm was built we recognized that it was perfect for us to continue to farm brood stock there and harvest eggs,” she mentioned.
The final salmon for market from P.E.I. was bought in August, Wulf mentioned. The change doesn’t imply any layoffs, she mentioned, and all 37 staff on the Island will maintain their jobs.
Sales in Canada will proceed
Aquabounty salmon are genetically engineered to develop a lot quicker than common salmon, utilizing much less feed. They are bred and grown in an enclosed facility to make sure they don’t escape into the atmosphere.
There have been objections to the corporate’s product, however Wulf mentioned the fish has been discovered to be protected for consumption in each Canada and the U.S., and that the corporate has been topic to 25 years of regulatory approvals and security testing.
Canada doesn’t require the fish to be labelled as genetically modified.
The salmon continues to be bought in Canada out of Aquabounty’s Indiana plant, mentioned Wulf, however that how a lot is being bought is proprietary info. In 2018, Aquabounty traders had been instructed the corporate had bought 4.5 tonnes of salmon within the Canadian market.
Information concerning the firm’s prospects can be proprietary, she mentioned. She added that Aquabounty offers with seafood wholesalers, and he or she doesn’t know the place shoppers could also be buying the fish.
