NOAA broadens fishing ban in the Gulf

From Soundings Today/Trade Only

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expanded the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this week to include portions of the oil slick moving beyond the area's current northwestern boundary off the Louisiana federal-state waterline.

NOAA also opened approximately 174 square miles of the closed fishing area south of Louisiana, as this area was not impacted or projected to be impacted by oil.

As of Tuesday, the closed area represents 83,927 square miles, which is approximately 35 percent of Gulf of Mexico federal waters.




NOAA broadens fishing ban in the Gulf

Genetically altered salmon that mature 1000 times faster than wild salmon

Do genetically modified fruits and vegetables make you uneasy? Get ready for transgenic salmon, set to become the first genetically modified animal to be approved by the FDA. AquaBounty, the company behind the salmon, claims that its AquaAdvantage salmon reaches market size twice as fast as regular salmon (16 to 18 months).

The transgenic salmon is a mash-up of Atlantic salmon, a growth hormone gene from the chinook salmon, and an "on-switch" gene from the ocean pout that triggers the fish to eat year round, according to The Olympian. AquaBounty doesn't plan to sell the actual salmon. Instead, the company will sell fish eggs to farmers.

Despite its initial frankenfish creepiness, AquaBounty's salmon has a number of advantages. By shortening the salmon growing cycle, AquaAdvantage salmon make it easiest for farmers to cash in on their bounty.....to read the full article click here