GloFish are genetically modified fish that come in many different bright neon colours. GloFish are created by adding a fluorescence gene to the unhatched fish egg. The fish will then be able to pass the fluorescence trait to its offspring upon maturity.And the offspring's will also pass on the trait.
The GloFish were invented to detect pollutants and toxins in the water. The GloFish addresses the problem of water pollution.The scientists created a switch like reaction in the fish that will cause the always-fluorescing fish to glow in the presence of pollutants/toxins. A fish with no fluorescence signals the water is safe, while a fluorescing fish will signal toxins in the environment.GloFish have been quite successful in the untied states since they were introduced in 2003, although they are prohibited here in Canada.
Although the GloFish is said to be able to detect toxins in the environment some folks say GloFish are a hazard to the environment. Because some groups,such as the Center for Food Safety, have a concern that the fish "will make it into the wild and disrupt natural biodiversity." The ethical problem is not with GloFish but that they were bio-engineered. A few people believe that they should be banned, but what they fail to understand is that the fish are not being harmed in the process.The unhatched egg receives a fluorescence gene and from then on all off-springs can develop the hereditary gene.
In my opinion I think GloFish should be world wide.The GloFish would be able to help further studies about pollution/toxins in the aquatic environment and they make excellent pets.The GloFish allows people to enjoy their glowing pet and also promotes "the beneficial scientific goals behind their development." Also a portion of the profit gets sent to the scientific lab were these Glofish are created to help with the research. so to conclude I do think GloFish should be world wide.
Do you think GloFish are hazardous to the environment and should they be world wide?
http://www.glofish.com/about/faq/
http://www.biofortified.org/2012/09/are-glofish-bad-for-the-environment/
abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/09/neon-genetically-modified-glofish-could-threaten-natural-species/
http://freshaquarium.about.com/u/ua/newscontestsandpolls/glowowners.htm
http://www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/science_1/genetically_modified_organisms/1112965703/glofish/
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHarman Singh
ReplyDeleteIf the gene that cause the fluorescence does not add on to or change the composition of the fish, then they will not pass along any toxins and bioaccumulation will not occur in the ecosystem. However, by adding this gene, the population of that type of fish has become endangered: Predators are now able to easily find those fish because of their characteristic fluorescence, causing more of them to be eaten. The population of predators will slightly rise while the population of glofish will decrease significantly because they lost their ability to easily hide from predators. There is a reason why the fish were not glowing in the first place, and why such a gene would never come into existence even with evolution: It is because the gene is the end of them. Humans should not meddle with such large ecosystems such as the ocean because damages become permanent, and in this case, the damage is to these fish. They will never be able to hide as easily again. They are not hazardous to the environment – they are hazardous to themselves.