Super-salmon set to hit the market

From Fast Company:

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. The fish can also be raised inland, reducing the need for ocean-based pens. And the company claims that its transgenic salmon are sterile, so they won't threaten the already-dwindling populations of wild fish.