California Bans GloFish

California officials have banned the first transgenic pets--glow in the dark zebrafish. Why? Because they're dangerous? No. Because the fish have been harmed? No. Because they might harm the environment? Nope. The officials have banned them because the fish offend their "values." Evidently the bureaucrats just think they are "yucky." I wonder where that clause is in California Fish and Game regulations?

Comments

[Grant Gould]

Don't be fooled: That glow is the glow of EVIL.
--G

[Madog]

I'm sure they're much happier with guppies, siamese fighting fish, ornamental goldfish, and all those other breeds created the natural way by massive selective inbreeding.

[Citizen]

Conservation groups and commercial fishers cited concerns that the fish could escape or be released into waterways and cross-breed with other fish. The ban stems from the fear that transgenic farmed fish, such as salmon, could get loose and devastate wild fish populations.

I think they're envisioning a sort of gang of punk fish with wild dyed scales and maybe a lip hook-piercing swimming around harassing all the other fish.

[Matt]

I want a dozen.

[crazyness]

Apparently the officials never even researched the fish. Near as I can tell, according to the marketing from the few companies selling these fish, they have volutarily sterilized the fish, there is no chance of the fish tainting the waterways. Worse case you have a few fish swiming in the waterways waiting to die.

But facts have never stoped luddites before....

[Jade Monk]

"they have volutarily sterilized the fish, there is no chance of the fish tainting the waterways."

Oh, sure. And they were all females in Jurassic Park and look what happened there!

[Gregg]

The officials in California are just being prudent. The fish glow red, right? Just like the bad guys in "Tron". Make 'em blue and we're good to go.

[Crazyness]

Jade, apparantly the Calif. Officials thought the same thing. 😉

Damn you Speilburg!!!

[Ron Hardin]

You can get regular fish to glow in the dark by feeding them garlic.

[crazyness]

In other news, California Officials ban garlic....

[Rick Barton]

..said Sam Schuchat, a member of the state Fish and Game Commission. " it's a question of values; it's not a question of science,I think selling genetically modified fish as pets is wrong."

What a jerk! Who in the Hell does he think he is? California is not supposed to be a dictatorship. This is what's wrong with government power. People are FORCED to live according to the values held by those in power. This scum bag buys and eats genetically modified foods for sure, even if they have been genetically modified only by breeding. If he applied the same capricious rule to foods, his diet would be severely restricted.

[Brett Middleton]

Crazyness,

Apparently the officials never even researched the fish. Near as I can tell, according to the marketing from the few companies selling these fish, they have volutarily sterilized the fish, there is no chance of the fish tainting the waterways. Worse case you have a few fish swiming in the waterways waiting to die.

Substitute the words "ferrets" and "woods" for "fish" and "waterways" in your comment, and you've got a good description of the situation regarding pet ferrets in California. CF&G has a well-established track record for this kind of thing.

[Madog]

Sometimes I wish someone would geneticly engineer some super animal or plant that has the words "Greens Suck" on it, then release it into the wild.

[Gene 6-Pack]

Our 15 billion dollar deficit is worth it if it keeps geniuses like this on our team.

[Jenny]

"they have volutarily sterilized the fish, there is no chance of the fish tainting the waterways."
Oh, sure. And they were all females in Jurassic Park and look what happened there!

And Jurassic Park was a movie. In movies animals can talk and people can fly. Don't base arguements in Hollywood fantasy. They are just fish that happen to glow. How is it any different than selective breeding on dogs or cows? There is no harm done to the fish and allowing their sale isn't going to cause mutant fish to take over California waterways.

[Douglas Fletcher]

I think they should make fish with bones that glow, that way it would be easier to eat them without choking.

[Steven]

THese fish are NOT sterile. I got 10 and now have 50