AquaBounty Facing Environmental Complaint in Panama
By admin,
The Guardian
| 11. 23. 2013
A U.S. company with a Prince Edward Island research facility is facing a complaint in Panama alleging that it is in breach of the country’s environmental regulations.
The Environmental Advocacy Center of Panama submitted a complaint to the country’s National Environmental Authority earlier this week alleging that AquaBounty’s research and development of Genetically Modified (GM) Atlantic salmon is in breach of environmental regulations.
The company produces salmon eggs in P.E.I., which are then shipped to Panama for further research and development.
Sharon Labchuk, of the P.E.I. group “Islanders Say No to Frankenfish”, said she was surprised at the complaint.
“We always assume that because something is as controversial as this is, the proper controls are in place,” said Labchuk. “It’s also very experimental and the risks of anything going wrong are disastrous. They can wipe out the wild salmon population if these fish ever escape and their eggs end up in the wild rivers.”
The National Environmental Authority in Panama conducted an inspection of the AquaBounty operation in 2012 and allegedly found violations that remained uncorrected by the company. Those...
Related Articles
Cathy Tie seems to be good at starting businesses but not so dedicated to maintaining them. CGS, like many others, first heard of her thanks to Caiwei Chen and Antonio Regalado in MIT Technology Review, May 2025, as the partner (perhaps bride) of the notorious Chinese scientist He Jiankui, described in the headline as “China’s Frankenstein.” He prefers “Chinese Darwin.” She ran his Twitter account for a while, contributing such gems as:
Get in luddite, we’re going gene editing...
By Laura DeFrancesco, Nature Biotechnology | 03.17.2026
The first gene editors designed to fix genetic lesions in mutation-agnostic ways are poised to enter the clinic. Tessera Therapeutics and Alltrna, two Flagship Pioneering-funded companies, are gearing up to test novel genetic medicines in humans. Tessera received regulatory clearance...
By Darren Incorvaia, Fierce Biotech | 03.11.2026
A new method for safely inserting large chunks of DNA into genomes has now measured up in mice, potentially paving the way for the next generation of gene editing medicines.
The approach, which is described in a Nature paper...
By Carolyn Riley Chapman and Nirvan Bhatia, Hastings Bioethics Forum | 03.12.2026
Last year, researchers saved an infant named KJ from a life-threatening rare metabolic disorder using a customized gene editing therapy. This was the first time that an individualized gene therapy was used to treat a human patient, and it has...
