Glowing Fish -- transgenic fish Calif.

[Dallas Weaver, Ph.D.]

Zebra researchers,

In California, it looks like a coalition  of crass commercial interests 
(commercial fishermen who don't like the competition from people 
raising fish instead of wild harvest), anti-GMO activists (where the very 
idea of moving genes between species is an evil activity), misled 
environmental activists (worrying about genes from zebra fish jumping 
into native species) and state Senator Sher's office (modern day 
Luddites wanting to stop biotechnology) have succeeded in setting up 
rules that will effectively eliminate these fish from California.  

Even for scientific researchers, they have to fill out permit forms, have 
inspections and pay hundreds of dollars in fees to have legal fish with 
any trasgenic modification.  Furthermore, the definition of transgenic 
includes endogenous constructs "to produce, gene additions, deletion, 
and doubling, or changing the position of the gene".  

For commercial zebra producers, such as ourselves, we also are 
required to have a public hearing before the Fish and Game 
commission to add transgenic fish to our aquaculture registration (at 
added cost and fee's).  For researchers who need 100's of thousands 
of embryos or tens of thousands of specific transgenic lines per week, 
we will do "contract growing", where we mass produce a customers 
line of transgenic zebra fish.  We are going through all the procedures 
to obtain all the permits in the hope that some researchers will find a 
use for large numbers of transgenic fish.  

Researchers in California must have their permit forms in by Aug 14, 
2003 if they want to legally hold, import, export, breed or transport any 
mutants meeting the strange legal definition of transgenic, which 
includes "deleted" genes.   

Dallas

Dallas E. Weaver, Ph.D.                     Scientific Hatcheries
deweaver at gte.net                            5542 Engineer Dr.
714-890-0138                                Huntington Beach, CA Fax
714-890-3778                                   92649
http://home1.gte.net/deweaver






in article bgoftu$r2h$1 at mercury.hgmp.mrc.ac.uk, dan at
danl_4 at hotmail.com wrote on 8/5/03 7:45 AM:

> Does anyone know where I can buy one of the new genetically
> engineered flourescent  zebrafish.  I understand that they are
> supposed to be coming to the USA for retail soon, but I'm really
> anxious to get one soon.  Is there anyway that they can be imported?
> Does anyone know when they will reach the states?  I think this is
> the coolest product the aquarium hobbiest has seen in years.  If you
> have any info please e-mail danl_4 at hotmail.com. ---
> 
> 
>