Genome editing – a game-changer in salmon farming: Conditions for social and moral acceptance (CRISPRsalmon)
CRISPRsalmon
Genome editing – a game-changer in salmon farming:
Conditions for social and moral acceptance
Fish farming is the most important Norwegian bioeconomy industry, but it is also controversial for ethical and environmental reasons. The basis for this food production is the salmon, an iconic animal in Norwegian culture. One promising approach to solving some of aquaculture's production challenges, and to ensure higher value creation in aquaculture is using genome-editing techniques such as the CRISPR system. This emerging technology enables rapid and precise changes to the genetic basis of relevant salmon traits.
However, unless it is introduced in a socially and morally acceptable way, promised improvements and solutions cannot be utilised. This project aims to determine the acceptability of genome edited salmon through an empirical ethics approach combining descriptive and normative studies.
Publications
- "Hva mener nordmenn egentlig om genmodifisert mat?" ("What do Norwegians really think about genetically modified food?"
Op-ed in Aftenposten, 19 May 2020, by Torill Pauline Blix Bakkelund, Trine Antonsen, Tim Dassler, Sigfrid Kjeldaas (in Norwegian) - "Non-safety Assessments of Genome-Edited Organisms: Should They be Included in Regulation?"
Science and Engineering Ethics (2020), by Bjørn Kåre Myskja and Anne Ingeborg Myhr - "Hva mener tromsøværinger om GMO?" ("What do Tromsø people think of GMO?")
Op-ed at Nordnorskdebatt.no, 8 November 2019, by Torill Pauline Blix Bakkelund (in Norwegian) - "Moral limits to genome editing of farmed salmon"
In Sustainable governance and management of food systems (Wageningen Academic Publishers, 2019): 261-266, by Bjørn Kåre Myskja and Anne Ingeborg Myhr
Partners
- Anna Wargelius, Institute of Marine Research
- Lotte Holm, Copenhagen University
- Siri Granum Carson, NTNU
- Lars Ursin, NTNU
- Bioteknologirådet
- Petter Arnesen, Federation of Norwegian Industries
- Merete Kristiansen, Akvaplan-niva
- Herwig Grimm, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
- Bernice Bovenkerk, Wageningen University
- Mickey Gjerris, Copenhagen University