The first harvest of genetically modified salmon began this week after the pandemic delayed the sale of the first such modified animal to be edible in the United States, company officials said.
Designed by biotechnology company Aqua Bounty Technologies Inc., tons of salmon will head to restaurants and remote dining services along the Midwest and East Coast.
So far, the only customers who have announced the sale of salmon are Philadelphia-based seafood distributors Samuels and Son Seafood.
AquaBounty grows fast-growing salmon at an indoor aquaculture farm in Albany, Indiana. The fish is genetically engineered to grow twice as fast as wild salmon and reach market size (8-12 lbs) in 18 months instead of 36 months.
The Massachusetts-based company initially planned to harvest fish in late 2020, Wolff said due to delays due to pandemic-accelerated Atlantic salmon demand and lower market prices. Yes.
“The influence of COVID has led us to rethink our original schedule … no one was looking for more salmon at the time,” she said. “We are very excited now. We are timing the harvest with the economic recovery and we know that demand will continue to grow.”
