“FDA has thoroughly analyzed and evaluated the data and information submitted by AquaBounty Technologies regarding AquAdvantage salmon and determined the company has met the regulatory requirements for approval, including that food from the fish is safe to eat,” explains Bernadette Dunham, director of FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.

The US currently imports more than 90 percent of all the seafood it consumes. Stotish says AquAdvantage salmon will offer the opportunity for an economically viable domestic aquaculture industry.

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation applauded FDA’s approval. “The innovative biotechnology involved in genetically engineering salmon promises to bring healthy and affordable food within reach for countless consumers with lower environmental impact than traditional ocean-farmed salmon,” the foundation says. “These salmon will be grown in tanks on land, eliminating the potential spread of disease and parasites from farmed salmon to wild salmon stocks.”

On the other side, the activist group Friends of the Earth calls the salmon a “frankenfish” and says many consumers and large grocery chains are lining up to reject the product. “Despite FDA’s flawed and irresponsible approval of the first genetically engineered animal for human consumption, it’s clear there is no place in the US market for genetically engineered salmon,” says Lisa Archer, food and technology program director at Friends of the Earth. “People don’t want to eat it, and grocery stores are refusing to sell it.” The group claims some studies suggest GMO salmon may pose serious environmental and public health risks, including potentially irreversible damage to wild salmon populations.