The GloFish is a genetically-modified zebrafish with a bright red fluorescent color. It is the first genetically modified (GM) animal to be engineered for sale as a pet.
In 1999, Dr Gong Zhiyuan and colleagues at the National University of Singapore took a gene from a jellyfish that naturally produced a green fluorescent protein and grafted it on to the zebrafish genome. This caused the fish's organs to glow brightly behind its translucent skin. Shortly thereafter a team of Taiwanese researchers... succeeded in creating a zebrafish with a fluorescent red color by adding genes from a species of coral...
In 2002, Taiwan became the first country to authorize sales of a GM organism as a pet. One hundred thousand fish were sold in less than a month at $18.60 apiece...
The GloFish was introduced to the American market in January, 2004 ...claiming that it needs no federal permit to do so. The move was met by protests from environmental groups, who call the GloFish "frankenfish"...
According to the CFS, recent research also revealed that the GloFish was engineered to contain animal and human viruses and as well as antibiotic resistance genes, all of which it claims can pose human and animal health hazards.
However, the official statement of the U.S. FDA (made on the 9th of December 2003) says:
"Because tropical aquarium fish are not used for food purposes, they pose no threat to the food supply. There is no evidence that these genetically engineered zebra danio fish pose any more threat to the environment than their unmodified counterparts which have long been widely sold in the United States. In the absence of a clear risk to the public health, the FDA finds no reason to regulate these particular fish."
