A story on ABC radio today discussed the upcoming expected approval of a genetically modified (GM) salmon in the US, and it's potential impact on Australia.

The new salmon grows to the required minimum size in the half the time of a non GM fish and is expected to be a boon for the industry, with quicker turnaround from egg to harvesting, and hence increased profits.

There are an increasing group of people and experts who disagree and some even believe that if released, it may eliminate the wild species within 40 generations, let alone the environmental impact of this increasing population. Some are even calling it Frankenfish.

The new fish is the product of Chinook genes being placed into an Atlantic salmon.

The eggs for this new fish are scheduled for production in Canada and then will be transported to Panama for growing to full size before being sold to the US and potentially other markets. There are some that believe that due to the limited US involvement in the process, the US is not doing  as much assessment and review as they would with other issues.

The assessment and decision is to be based only on whather the salmon is safe for human consumption. A previous decision has already determined that the eggs are safe for consumption.

Some people are also saying that if approved then the salmon should be labelled as being GM, as foods already need country of origin and other labelling requirements, for consumers to make informed choices.

It is expected that even if approved for use and consumption in the US, this fish will not fly in Australia due to public pressure about GM organisms at this stage and because our fishing industry is able to achieve much through natural genetics and breeding.

 This is an area to closely watch.