Genetically modified fish are destined to hit the food cases of supermarkets at some point. Unfortunately, the risks of genetically modified fish may not be worth the potential benefits. Here's why.

    It's coming whether you like it or not. Genetically modified fish are expected to become an important part of the future food supply. Why? Because they grow at a rate that's up to two times faster than fish that haven't been modified and they're able to use food more efficiently which means it costs less to feed them. What fish farmer wouldn't like that? Unfortunately, a new report from the University of Gotherberg in Sweden suggests that genetically modified fish could be a significant threat to human health.

    The Toxin Problem

    According to this report, genetically modified fish have had genes inserted that not only help them grow faster and resist infection, but also make them more resistant to toxins. This means they could potentially build up higher levels of harmful substances which would be transmitted to humans when they're eaten With their already being concern about toxins in fish such as PCB's, dioxins, and mercury, this could raise an even higher levels of health concern, particularly for children and pregnant women who may be particularly susceptible to food-borne toxins.

    What If They Escape?

    There's also concern about the effects genetically modified fish would have on the environment should they escape into the wild. These modified fish would have a distinct advantage when it comes to competing in the wild due to their more efficient use of nutrients and their increased ability to resist infections that other fish might be susceptible to.

    If modified fish escaped into the wild, they would be able to freely breed with other non-modified fish which would create fish with unique genetic make-ups and unknown health effects when eaten by humans. Plus, there's concern that genetically modified fish that escaped into the world could upset the natural ecosystem. Like opening Pandora's box, it would be an irreversible step that could forever change the delicate ecological balance.

    A Possible Solution?

    Despite the fact that genetically modified fish are farmed and not allowed access to the wild, fish do escape from fish farms. In Europe, it's estimated that up to two million escape from farms each year. As a way to rectify this problem, there's talk of using only genetically modified fish that are sterile so they would be unable to breed with wild fish should they escape. The technique of making genetically modified fish sterile is still in its early stages and has yet to be perfected.

    The Bottom Line?

    Genetically modified fish present even more health issues than non-modified farmed fish – fish that are known to be high in toxins and likely pose health risks to humans. Genetically modified fish could potentially accumulate even higher amounts of these toxins. At the same time, they could upset the natural ecosystem if they escaped into the wild. Are the potential benefits worth such a risk?

    轉基因魚注定在某個時候要闖入超市的食品盒。不幸的是，為潛在的利益而冒轉基因魚的風險可能是不值得的。這里講述其原因。

    不管你喜不喜歡，這種情況正在到來。轉基因魚有望成為未來的食品供應的一個重要組成部分。為什么呢？ 因為它們的成長速度達到非轉基因魚的兩倍，它們能夠更有效地利用食物，這意味著喂養它們花更少的費用。魚場主難道不會喜歡這樣嗎？ 不幸的是，瑞典 Gotherberg 大學的一項新的報告提出，轉基因魚對人類的健康可能是一個重大的威脅。

    毒素問題

    根據這份報告，轉基因魚具有插入的基因，不僅可以幫助它們更快地成長并且抵抗感染，而且也使它們更能抵抗毒素。這意味著它們可能潛在地積累更高數量級的有害物質，會將人們已經很關注的在魚身上的毒物例如聚氯聯苯、二惡英以及水銀傳給食用它們的人類。這可能引起更高層次的健康關注，特別是對于對食源性毒素可能尤其敏感的兒童和孕婦。

    如果它們逃掉了呢？

    也擔心如果轉基因魚逃到野外可能對環境的影響。這些轉基因魚，由于它們能夠更有效的利用營養以及它們對于其它魚類可能容易感染的病害具有更高的抵抗能力，與野生魚相比可能會有明顯的優勢。

    如果轉基因魚逃到野外，他們可以自由地與其它非轉基因的魚進行繁殖，可能創造出具有獨特基因構成的以及被人吃掉時健康影響未知的魚。加上還有轉基因魚逃到世界將會打亂自然生態系統的擔心。就像打開潘朵拉的盒子那樣，它會是一種不可逆轉的過程，可能永遠改變世界微妙的生態平衡。

    一個可能的解決方案？

    盡管事實上轉基因魚是養殖而且不允許進入野外的，但是仍然有魚逃離漁場。在歐洲，據估計每年有 200 萬條魚逃離漁場。作為解決此問題的一種方法，大家都說只使用不育的轉基因魚，如果跑掉，它們不能與野生魚類繁殖。但是培育不育轉基因魚的技術還處于初級階段，還有待完善。

    底線？

    轉基因魚比非轉基因養殖魚呈現更多的健康問題--已知魚類是含有毒素較高的，并且可能對人類造成健康風險；而轉基因魚可以潛在地把這些毒素積累到更高的數量。與此同時，如果它們逃到野外，也可能會干擾自然生態系統。值得為可能的好處冒這種風險嗎？