Designer Fish

[GreshamH]

imagine if all of the unwanted transplant species glowed.

Ahhhhhh.... that would be a dream come true for a lot of researchers

 

[billsreef]

if a kill switch were to be put in, wouldn't that make them safer than normal fish?

If an escaped (or released) transgenic critter interbreeds with a wild genotype of the species before that kill switch kicks in, you now have a good chance of those spliced genes entering wild populations. Quite possibly without the kill switch going along in a functional state. It's also assuming that kill switch actually works in a totally foolproof manner, and we've also long proven there is no foolproof technology. IMO the risks are significant enough to be not worth it for the sake of commerce.

 

[WTyson]

OMG....... Jurassic Park all over again.

Someone Call Jeff Goldblum!!!!!!

 

[ctenophors rule]

If an escaped (or released) transgenic critter interbreeds with a wild genotype of the species before that kill switch kicks in, you now have a good chance of those spliced genes entering wild populations. Quite possibly without the kill switch going along in a functional state. It's also assuming that kill switch actually works in a totally foolproof manner, and we've also long proven there is no foolproof technology. IMO the risks are significant enough to be not worth it for the sake of commerce.

why dont they work? is it that the genes dont take? I suppose In relation I have a very crude understanding of GE, however from my research it seams that since all that a gene does it designate a protien it wouldn't be able to break any more likely than the gfp gene or any of the natural genes. I understand that mutations are far from rare but I thought that a mutation was merely a minor change to a gene; gene 1 gene a1,a2,a3, etc. gene a makes brown hair, a3 makes a lighter shade.

can you possibly point in the right direction for some information that can clear this up?

thanks...tommy.

 

[billsreef]

why dont they work? is it that the genes dont take? I suppose In relation I have a very crude understanding of GE, however from my research it seams that since all that a gene does it designate a protien it wouldn't be able to break any more likely than the gfp gene or any of the natural genes. I understand that mutations are far from rare but I thought that a mutation was merely a minor change to a gene; gene 1 gene a1,a2,a3, etc. gene a makes brown hair, a3 makes a lighter shade.

can you possibly point in the right direction for some information that can clear this up?

thanks...tommy.

In all reality we still don't understand genetics to the point that we can reliable design a "kill switch gene". Sure we can take a known gene from a jellyfish and splice it into a fishes genes to make a glow in the dark fish, but we still can't design a gene from scratch. If we could do that sort of genetic engineering, we'd have cures for things like diabetes and some types of cancer

 

[wtac]

Another abomination introduced in the FW hobby:


Fluorescent cichlids produced in Taiwan

 

[Akwarius]

This conversation is missing the forest for the trees. Doesn't the very existence of man change the evolution of every creature on this planet? If we really cared about preserving our reefs, then we would strive for 100% aquaculture and captive raised fish. Perhaps We could genetically enhance captive fish with disease resistance and less aggression. Every fish could be given a terminator gene, hindering them as infertile in the wild. Perhaps a chemical additive in fish food would reverse the terminator gene in captivity. Sound implausible? Just look at Monsanto's Roundup soybeans.

 

[RichConley]

Selective breeding does not alter the genome in any way.

I'm gonna go ahead and assume that you don't understand genetics.

Selective breeding does nothing BUT alter the genome. It introduces all sorts of issues because of reduced population size/genetic diversity, and inbreeding.

 

[RichConley]

What is the difference? so it is ok for us to put pressure on a species (selective breeding) in order for a specimen to form with the phenotype that we want, but not ok to just determine the genotype/gene that codes for that phenotype, and use it to selectively create specimens with the phenotype (and therefore genotype) that we want.
Just remember that we are doing the exact same thing as nature, just at a much faster pace, and much more efficiently.

I agree with you here.


Over the course of a selective breeding program, thousands of fish are culled for not being as close to the target as some of their siblings. Making deliberate changes would avoid this.

 

[chaynes]

ALL Hypocrits! Humans do nothing but impact nature and if you have impacted nature in any way then you can say to yourself that you are guilty of all of the above indignations if you get to the root of it. TO think yourself above it or better than others who might go further in the tampering is delusional at best

 

[sslak]

These "new species" will become invasive as many non-native species in the past!

Carp in our Wisconsin river and lake systems, zebra mussels in our great lakes, etc. etc.

It's not just a problem in tropical waters, I can only imagine these glowing fish ending up in a lake, and being either toxic or unhealthy for the predator fish, or an alternate source of food that prevents the predators from eating their natural prey causing an ecosystem imbalance....wonderful.

 

[Allmost]

ok I take my comments back lol

just saw beautiful GM clown pair, but as it looks one side of the mouth out grew the other half and ..... :S nasty and the poor guys cant even eat food bigger than a pellet now. SMALL pellet.

 

[Paul B]

Genitically enginered bumblebee grouper.
OK so it is not really engineered or a grouper.
Its a brackish bumblebee gobi, but they live quite well in a reef and you can lie and say it is a miniature grouper :eek2:

 

[WTyson]

I think that alot of people who believe that genetically modified fish are worse or will be more invasive than Natural* fish, or fish that have been selectively bread for many generations, lack a certain knowledge or background in genetics.

Just my 2 cents.

Plus good old mother nature has been playing this game for billions of years, so i doubt anything that we create (usually doesn't end up being the most adaptable animal, or the most efficient) would last that long in the wild (without selective mutation(pressure) back to a more natural state)

example: glowfish would glow and therefore be much easier to catch than non-glowing fish.

 

[jjsan]

doesn't inbreeding causes genetic issues that normally won't occur? like how dogs and cats inbreed so often that they have all these ailments to them?

I mean its great to get something cool...but cruel.

 

[jjsan]

unless it is cross breeding which would help relieve some of the issues.

I remember reading an article about lions and tigers cross breading to produce ligers.

 

[WTyson]

dogs and cats cannot breed, they have pre-zygotic mechanisms that prevent it.

see link for more http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reproductive_isolation

 

[ibefishy]

The new edition of CORAL has an article about designer fish. The article shows all the different clowns out there and talks with a breeder about them.

 

[RichConley]

I
Plus good old mother nature has been playing this game for billions of years, so i doubt anything that we create (usually doesn't end up being the most adaptable animal, or the most efficient) would last that long in the wild (without selective mutation(pressure) back to a more natural state)

Killer Bees disagree.

 

[paraletho]

Science has performed many miracles that have pushed us as a species past where we should be, pushing others out. I say put more money and effort into space exploration and finding some place to go when the whole thing comes crashing down around our ears. No I don't aree with genetically altering anything. As with our hobby nothing good happens fast it is the same in nature. Being the self centered egotistical species that we are ( I confess I'm human ), we are not satisfied to let our progeny see the results thousands of years later. We want it and we want it now.