Ocean pout
| Ocean pout | |
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| Ocean pout at the New England Aquarium | |
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| Species: | Z. americanus
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| Binomial name | |
| Zoarces americanus | |
The ocean pout (Zoarces americanus) is an eelpout in the family Zoarcidae. It is found in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of New England and eastern Canada. The fish has antifreeze proteins in its blood, giving it the ability to survive in near-freezing waters.
Scientists have done studies wherein genes are taken from the ocean pout and implanted into salmon in an attempt to make the latter grow faster.[1][2] These genes transfer the ocean pout's tolerance for extremely cold waters to the salmon, allowing it to grow year-round. Controversy has arisen, as some view the altered fish as a potential threat to ordinary salmon if it is ever allowed to enter the wild.[3] Nationwide, chefs, grocers and others have agreed not to sell the new fish over these concerns, though the fish is believed to be safe for human consumption.[4]
In June 2006 the Unilever company announced that it would use genetically modified yeast to grow antifreeze proteins based on a gene from the ocean pout, and use it to improve the consistency and storage properties of its ice cream brands.[5]
References
- ^ Gorman, James (2002-09-22), Dumb and Dumber: Here's a Fish Story With Legs, New York Times, retrieved 2007-11-20
{{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Burke, Monte (2001-02-19), Cannery Roe, Forbes, retrieved 2007-11-20
{{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Somers, Terri (2004-03-14), Fear of fishes, San Diego Union-Tribune, retrieved 2007-11-20
{{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Burros, Marian (2002-09-18), Chefs Join Campaign Against Altered Fish, New York Times, retrieved 2007-11-20
{{citation}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Moskin, Julia. "Can a bit of Arctic pep up ice cream?" - International Herald Tribune. 31 July, 2006.
In correction to the previous paragraph, the ocean pout's tolerance to cold has NOT been transferred to salmon. Use of the promoter region from the ocean pout antifreeze protein gene, which regulates when and where the gene will be expressed, allows for the growth hormone gene it is attached to in transgenic salmon to be continually expressed, theoretically allowing for continuous production of growth hormone and thus, bigger fish faster.
External links
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