Hightower Lowdown

Here's a fish story about "the really big one" that got away--a salmon that's more than double the size of a regular one!

Unfortunately, this whopper is a genetically modified Frankenfish. Scientists in Massachusetts have patented a process of splicing a flounder gene into the growth- hormone gene of the salmon, causing the resulting fish to grow twice as fast and more than twice as large as normal.

Seems like a bonanza for fish farmers, right? Not so fast: The Frankenfish eggs have a much lower survival rate than those of normal salmon. The genetically engineered fish is a biological time bomb that could devastate wild fish populations.

This is because farmed fish routinely escape from their pens and breed with wild species. If even a few Frankenfish escape, the damage could be extensive. The genetically enhanced males are most attractive to females, who naturally look for size when choosing mates. The big studs would then pass on their genes for producing inferior eggs and threaten the long-term existence of the species.

To learn more about the dangerous rush to cash in on genetic manipulation, check out www.biotechcenturv.org.