Nofima and Partners Propose Assessment Framework for Gene Editing in Aquaculture

Researchers from Nofima, a food science research institute in Norway, and partners presented a guide for evaluating gene editing in aquaculture. Their review paper is available in Reviews in Aquaculture.

Gene editing can transform aquaculture through improved animal welfare, nutrition, and farming efficiency. However, side effects on other vital traits or gene transfer to wild populations must be managed. Thus, Nofima created a framework for risk-benefit analysis of gene editing in aquaculture.

Here are the highlights of the proposed framework:

• Transparent assessment of gene editing applications coordinated by a national body will maximize public acceptance. 
• The assessment format will be based on general frameworks used for workplace risk assessments and available decision support tools developed for assessing and managing risks associated with GM aquatic organisms and animals.
• Suppose the edit is to be introduced into production stock. In that case, there's a need to consider at which level of the breeding chain it should be implemented, how to perform the editing efficiently, and how to make gene editing compatible with breeding program management.

Read the open-access review article for more information.