The Cellar Image of the Day

Looks like a Rainbow Trout on steroids, but it's much more complicated than that.

Quote:

Bradley and a team of graduate students spent 500 hours injecting 20,000 rainbow trout eggs with various DNA types designed to inhibit myostatin. Of the eggs that hatched, 300 carried the gene that led to increased muscle growth. After two years, most exhibited a "six-pack ab" effect, even though fish lack standard abdominal muscles. They also have increased musculature throughout, including a prominent dorsal hump that made them look like they had muscular shoulders.

The first generation of transgenic trout were subsequently spawned, and offspring carrying the gene in all of their muscle cells have been produced. Studies are under way to determine if the fish grow at a faster rate as well.

I am *so* not eating one of those abominations.

Cripes. What happens when these mutant motherfuckers get loose in the perfect Idaho trout stream?

I thought it said musical trout and I thought of that annoying commercial with the singing fish.

Probably that muscle inhibitor that these guys turned off is there for a reason. My guess is that excess muscle would out these fish at a disadvantage in the real world, so if (really, when) any escape, they won't prosper. At least I really really hope so, cause I would not eat that thing and I do NOT want them swimming about free.

If you happened to catch one of these things, would you eat it? I mean, LOOK at it.

Ok, so these freaks have 15 to 20 percent more muscle mass. What do they TASTE like, and more importantly, what will ingesting these genetically altered fish muscles do to my muscles?

Besides the ick-factor issues, there are other problems with these fish. From a related story:

Quote:

Risks Involved With Transgenic Fish

More resistant to toxins

For example, transgenic fish can be more resistant to environmental toxins, which could entail the accumulation of toxins that ultimately end up in consumers. There are also misgivings that the higher level of growth hormone in the fish can affect people. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have therefore been commissioned by the EU to study the environmental effects of GMO (genetically modified organisms) within fish farming. The results of the studies show that the genetically modified fish should be treated with great care.

Simulated escapes

Sundstr�m, PhD at the Department of Zoology, has studied transgenic salmon and rainbow trout to ascertain what ecological risks they might constitute for the natural environment. The study, which simulated escapes in a laboratory environment, shows that transgenic fish have a considerably greater effect on the natural environment than hatchery-reared non-transgenic fish when they escape. For example, genetically modified fish survive better when there is a shortage of food, and benefit more than non-transgenic fish from increasing water temperatures.

"It is probably due to the fact that genetically modified fish have a greater ability to compete and are better at converting food," says Sundstr�m.

Natural breeds are under threat

If transgenic fish become established in natural stocks they would be able to outcompete the natural breeds. However, conducting studies in a laboratory environment that imitates nature is complicated, which makes it difficult to predict how escaped transgenic fish affect the natural environment. Sundstr�m's conclusion is that international consensus is required before commercial farming can be permitted, and that a precautionary principle must be applied.

"They might just as well have come out and said, 'Hey we made cancer airborne and contagious. You're welcome.We're science: all about coulda, not shoulda.'"

--Patton Oswalt

You know, and another thing, All this bullshit about helping to feed more people is so fucking wrong. There's plenty of food on this planet. Why not work at making people less greedy and short sighted, and stop destroying prime farm land to put in shopping malls, FFS.

Your righteous outrage would be entirely valid if anyone actually gave a damn about feeding people. Unfortunately, all any of the corporate entities involved in food production care about is owning the *means* to feed people, patenting it, suing the pants off of anyone who is unfortunate enough to have a bee pollenate their crop with someone's genetically modified crop, and finally blackmailing the entire planet into parting with all of their money just to be fed.

Face it folks, the only right to life any of us have at this point is to serve as a source of money for some corporation. The only reason these bastards will help feed us is so they can continue to bleed us of our money. Health care? Same difference. I could make a list.

My dad would always take us fishing and he would cook the trout. I could never eat it but I do like sea fish. I can't stomach trout. The same thing with that Talapia. All of the sudden we have this less than savory, imo although I am sure it's fine,( cringe ) ugly fish we are suppose to consume.

Are we really eating the ocean's fish supply up so we need to eat that!
Oh and that...mutant fish?

Just give me a good red snapper without the muscles please.

( mussels yes muscles no )

Wait, you guys want all the trout to look like Kate Moss, dissing the full figured trout that don't conform to your ideal standards. No wonder anorexia and bulimia is rampant in the schools.

Muscle trout says, "You bedda come up wit dose shrimp by the fifteenth or you not gonna feel so good."