GM marine fish

[Mr CRABS]

Hi,want to know something about genetically modified(GM) fishes.

Currently there's a fish that has been inserted with somekind of ivertebrate's

cell's to make it glow.Is there any kind of GM fish is singapore and would like to know more about it..SERIOUS

[Mr CRABS]

Taiwanese Scientists Create Ornamental Glow in the Dark GM Fish

A Taiwanese company has created a genetically modified (GM) ornamental fish that will glow in the dark, raising fears that a trend for bio-engineered "Frankenstein pets" has begun. The first modified fish are expected to be imported into Britain later in the year. The Taikong Corporation of Taiwan has inserted a gene from a jellyfish into zebra fish to make them glow yellow-green. Officially named the TK-1, they are the first ornamental fish to be genetically engineered.

Taikong reports strong interest in its GM fish in Britain, where the aquatic industry is worth millions. It insists that the TK-1 is safe, sterile and that the fluorescent gene is not harmful. Taikong said its fish would satisfy European Union rules that GM imports must not threaten health or the environment.

Aquatic industry specialists are worried, however, that the TK-1 is the first of many GM pet fish destined for Britain. Tropical fish are being bio-engineered to tolerate cold and could colonize British waters if they escaped. "Interfering with the genome is unnecessary," said Keith Davenport, Chief Executive of the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association. "We don't want animals to become fashion accessories."

[Mr CRABS]

Ok now i know why this fish never reached singapore...ALIEN VISUAL

ACTIVITES..(AVA)

Illegal shipment of GM fish siezed

An illegal shipment of more than 400 genetically modified (GM) Rice fish (Oryzias latipes) has been siezed by officials in Singapore.

Before the transgenic fishes can be legally sold in Singapore they need to have been granted approval by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA). The AVA said that the importer, who purchased the fishes from a Malaysian supplier, did not declare the special status of the fishes. The importer claims it had not been correctly informed on the approval process and had no intention to flout the law.

Speaking to The Straits Times, an AVA official explained that the fish were confiscated because "they are different from normal fish, and contain alien genes, and the greatest concern is that they could get released into the wild and wreak havoc with our ecosystem".

Anyone illegally importing or keeping the GM fish in Singapore risks a fine of $10,000 and can be imprisoned for one year.

The AVA warned all ornamental fish dealers operating in Singapore, as well as fishkeepers, that approval had not been granted for the sale of the fishes so they should not purchase them should they see them offered for sale.

The GM TK-1 fish produced by Taiwan's Taikong Corporation are already on sale in Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia but have not yet been approved for sale in the USA or Singapore. As yet none have been imported into the UK and the fish have still not been seen on import order lists.

[Mr CRABS]

More to share.......SHARING......

The transgenic Zebra danios glow in the dark thanks to a Red Fluorescent Protein (RFP) gene from a coral which has been inserted into the genome. The fish are being sold under license from the National University of Singapore (NUS), and have been trademarked under the name GloFish and marketed by Texas-based Yorktown Technologies. Two leading tropical fish suppliers, 5-D Tropicals and Segrest Farms, are distributing the fish to the aquatic trade.

[blueheaven]

Creating GM fish is inhumane and is not an easy task (I've done something similar)

Do you know that if the GM fish is released into natural waters it will "pollute" the gene pool and cause a huge environmental catastrophe

Think along the lines of the Butterfly Effect in the Chaos Theorem

[Maxstar81]

I personally feel it is not our right to

meddle in such acts. BH is also right.

There would be trouble if released/ escaped into the wild.

They don't really look nice anyway....

I rather keep guppies for colour.

[FuEl]

I've seen the red zebrafish in NUS before. First thing that came to my mind was poor fish. Not to mention other fishes injected with dyes, balloon rams, etc. The statement about such animals escaping into the local ecosystem and wreaking havoc is a load of bull said just to account to the general public. If that is indeed the concern regarding ornamental fish trade, more attention should be paid to the predatory species that are allowed for sale, even the total ban of terrapins. If AVA is really against the trade in GM fish, it's amazing how NUS gets to produce them. If farmed bullfrogs can escape, certainly locally produced GM fish will get out one way or another. They were not even kept under tight security from what I have seen. Let's just wait, I'm certain GM fish will be available soon. Previous confiscation might have been to secure future monopoly of the trade or just plain laziness to get the proper paperwork done.

[Mr CRABS]

What do you all think about CLONING..does it pollute our enviroment...

Wouldn't it be great to see some one exactly like you sitting next to you after cloning???

Its sounds disgusting though..since he knows all your secrects....

[blueheaven]

What do you all think about CLONING..does it pollute our enviroment...

Wouldn't it be great to see some one exactly like you sitting next to you after cloning???

Its sounds disgusting though..since he knows all your secrects....

Actually if you are talking about cloning as in the replication of genes to form a clone, especially in humans, it is too inhumane to be done either.

And I don't think clones will know what you think as phenotype that is expressed is only "exterior" and what goes on in thoughts are constantly changing.

But if you are talking about cloning in a sense of coral propagation, I don't see what harm it does to the environment