Glofish: Menace to Society or the Newest Novelty Item? | Lifestyle

Glofish: Menace to Society or the Newest Novelty Item?

by StephenJBroy

Glofish do not exist in nature. They were created in a laboratory. No, you are not seeing things. You may not read about it on the front page of USA Today. You may not hear about it on a television commercial break that ends with the words, "film at 11." BUT... whether you realize it or not there have been over 660 patents issued on biogenetically engineered animals in the USA alone. And that number is growing every year. Transgenic animals are being patented like the never before seen, latest feature on a microwave oven or the next generation of digital music player. The difference is that here we are talking about living, breathing organisms rather than motherboards and microchips.

The Glofish just celebrated its tenth birthday. "And just exactly what is a Glofish?" you may find yourself asking. The answer is one you probably won't expect. Have you ever sat back on a rainy, dismal day and asked yourself this single question, "What if? What if I would have done this instead of that? What if I would have said yes instead of no? How different would my life be today?" The bioengineering research team headed by Dr. Zhiyuan Gong at NUS (the National University of Singapore) asked that very same question. The fundamental difference was the question they posed did not readdress self-serving interests but rather served to preserve a cleaner planet. "What if we could develop a fish that is genetically engineered to bioluminescence when it comes into contact with industrial toxins? How much better would our planet be if we could track the industrial polluters of our freshwater systems down to their source? How can we help make our planet a better place to live?" These are the questions that came into play when the bioengineering team stepped up to the plate to create what has since become known as the Glofish.

Selective bioluminescence, this is indeed a lofty goal. How do you incorporate a biologically triggered light switch that automatically turns on in the presence of environmental contaminants? The logical answer is that you must first find a way make an animal glow. Only after the objective of bioluminescence is achieved, can you address the problem of biologically triggered selectivity.

These were the problems faced by bioengineering team in Singapore a decade ago. Of course before you can make a fish glow, you must first have a fish. The team settled on the Brachydanio reri, a species endemic to East India, more commonly referred to as a zebra danio or zebrafish because of it horizontal striping. Why choose a fish that isn't indigenous to Singapore? This could have been strictly a matter of convenience. Most of the world's supply of this popular minnow variety is raised on fish farms, one of which is located in Singapore. Acquisitioning a batch of fish eggs for scientific research would seem preferable to a bunch of geneticists wading around in streams with fish nets in hand.

The next step was to infuse a fertilized zebrafish egg with GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein) and allow it to incorporate into the zebrafish's genome. GFP is a gene found in crystal jellyfish that produces a bright green bioluminescence. The experiment was a success. A variant of GFP produced fluorescent yellow fish. Further experimentation with a gene found in sea coral resulted in bright red offspring. And thus the Glofish, although not yet officially named, was created.

The creation of the world's first florescent fish was bound to draw some attention. It did not take long for news of NUS's success to reach the desks of entrepreneurs Alan Blake and Richard Crockett. They wasted no time in sewing up exclusive worldwide rights for the sell of Glofish. Yorktown Technologies of Austin, Texas then went to work commercially raising Glofish for the thriving aquarium trade industry. Fortunately for Blake and Crockett, fish farms for the production of zebra danios had been in existence in the southern parts of United States since as early as the 30s. It was not much of a leap to raise a species that is only a single gene removed.

See Glofish For Yourself

Exactly what happens when corporate entities start announcing their intentions to unleash bioengineered transgenic organisms upon an unwary planet? Is this just an ultra-cool novelty item predestined to become a favorite among aquarium owners around the world? Or are we in fact letting a bioengineered genie escape from the bottle never to be returned? Once you allow the sell of a single transgenic organism on the open market the precedent has been set. Glofish could just as easily be construed as Frankenfish as they could be perceived as harmless new variety of aquarium fish. Many nations had already foreseen the eventual marketing of biologically manipulated organisms and had enacted legislation to prevent such an "atrocity" from ever happening. Those that did not took swift and decisive action. Even before Golfish were available for sale they were banned in Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada and California despite over two years of extensive ecological risk assessment studies preformed by Yorktown Technologies.

There is far more to consider here than just the subject of genetic manipulation. Environmentalists have longed cautioned on the unforeseen and possibly devastating consequences of introducing an unknown factor into an established ecosystem. The sell of piranha is illegal in most of the United States and much of the world for fear that one of the most predacious species in existence will suddenly and irreversibly establish itself as the number one predator at the top of the food chain. Common sense dictates that this is perhaps the most extreme example one could come up with. While this is true, there are a number of instances relating to a new species being introduced into previously uninhabited aquatic eco-system. The southern platyfish of Central America has established feral populations in Florida, Montana, Columbia, Singapore and Hong Kong. Hong Kong ecologists have indicated that the introduction of this species inflicted serious damage on its freshwater ecosystems. The sword tail, another popular aquarium fish native to both North and South America, has reproduced at such an alarming rate that its presence is threatening the indigenous freshwater species of both Africa and Australia. Both of these species introductions into previously uninhabited waters are aquarium trade related. Fish are not like an item in your local supermarket. Once they have made their way into the wild they can't be subject to a product recall and quickly pulled off the shelf.

The complete globalization of the ornamental fish industry took place over a half a century ago. Hundreds of freshwater and saltwater species can be purchased as pets in virtually any industrialized nation in the world. In a day and age when both regional and national governmental agencies have no choice but to develop and implement AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) management systems there has only been single instance of zebra danios successfully establishing a reproducing population in the wild. This population established itself in Columbia, coincidentally close to a fish farming facility that rears zebrafish for exportation. Zebra danios and Glofish share an identical genome with the exception of the single fluorescing gene.

Since Glofish went on sale in 2003, scientists in various parts of the globe have successfully incorporated the fluorescing gene into rabbits, pigs, dogs and cats. The transition to mammals was undoubtedly inevitable. Given the rate of scientific progress perhaps it is understandable why many nations around the world decided it prudent to outright ban transgenic organisms for any purpose other than scientific research. That said; Glofish by their very nature are confined to a captive environment. If zebrafish, accidentally or intentionally introduced into the wild, posed a quantifiable ecological threat to the planet's freshwater ecosystems that threat would have been apparent long before geneticists infused a fluorescing gene into their genome. Adding a fluorescent fish to your aquarium is a far cry from buying a glowing kitten or puppy dog for your kids. Half the dogs and cats in the neighborhood won't be mysteriously glowing under a black light a year later.

DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice.

You never want to mix Glofish or any other smaller variety species with larger fish. A nano fish tank or wall mounted aquarium is more than enough room to house an entire family together. If you found this article informative, uncover more fun filled facts about your favorite freshwater aquarium fish at the Online fish guide.