Glofish: An Abomination of Science or Just Plain Cool?

There was a time when all living things in heaven and earth were created by the hand of God, or a product of evolution, depending on you philosophical belief. That time is now gone, never to return. The creation of biogenetically engineered animals is becoming more and more common place. To date over 660 patents have been issued for genetically manipulated animals in United States alone and the number is increasing every year.

The Golfish just turned 10 years old. Happy birthbay! Just a decade ago there was no such thing as a Glofish. What exactly would be the purpose for making a fish glow? Good question, especially if you stop to consider how much easier they would for a potential predator to find and decide they might make a tasty snack. But the goal was not to create a fish that screamed out, “Here I am. Come eat me.” Nor was it to create an entirely new species for the thriving global ornamental fish industry. In fact, monetary gain did not come into play at all when in 1999 when Dr. Zhiyuan Gong and his team of bioengineers at NSU (the National University of Singapore) decide to genetically modify a preexisting freshwater species of fish to make it glow. So if eradicating a nuisance species by making it more easily detectable, or accumulating a vast fortune by creating a “must have” novelty item for the hungry fish hobbyist market was not the objective, then what was? As incredulous as it may sound, the objective was to create a fish that would selectively luminescence when it came into contact with environmental contaminants. Hmmm… a fish that fights pollution by tracking industrial ecological offenders to their source, we might be on to something here! Do you think it was a sheer coincidence that the first Glofish ever created was GREEN?

So exactly what is involved in creating a species that is biologically designed to help save the planet? The logical first step is to engineer a fish that glows to begin with. Once you have a fish that glows then you can set about tackling the issue of selective bioluminescence.

These are the obstacles Dr. Zhiyuan Gong and his colleagues decided to overcome in 1999. The first step was to select a fish. The geneticists chose the Brachydanio reri a rather small fish in the minnow family native to India. This species is more commonly known as a zebra danio or zebrafish because of it distinctive horizontal stripping. Zebrafish are raised on fish farms in Singapore for export so their eggs were readily available.

With the selection process complete it was now time to initiate phase one of the process of creating the world’s fist aquatic toxic avenger. The genetics team integrated a bioluminescent gene found in crystal jellyfish known as GFP (Green Flourescent Protein) into a fertilized zebrafish egg and allowed it to gestate. The introduction of this gene into the embryo’s genome produced fluorescent green zebrafish. Experimentation with a variation of GFP resulted in yellow fluorescing fish. RFP (Red Flourescent Protein) found in certain species of sea coral added yet another twist in the spectrum of what was soon to be called Glofish.

Whenever there is something new that can have a dollar value attached to it there will be someone, somewhere that will find a way to package and sell it. Businessmen Alan Blake and Richard Crockett of Yorktown Technologies immediately recognized the commercial viability of biogenetically engineered fluorescing fish. Contracts were drawn up and Yorktown Technologies was awarded sole distributorship of genetically modified zebrafish for the entire planet. Austin, Texas became the new home for the first fluorescing fish ever created by man, a.k.a Glofish.

One would think that the marketing of a novelty item (even one that is genetically engineered) within the booming aquarium trade industry would be of little national interest. Think again! The gene that was inserted into zebrafish to make them fluoresce was immediately deemed a drug. As such the environmental risk assessment of the proposed commercial distribution of Glofish fell within the jurisdiction of U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Yorktown Technologies complied with two years of extensive environmental risk assessment research and consultation with various State and Federal agencies to procure the right to sell these fish to the public. In Dec. 2003, the FDA ruled that since Glofish are not designated to be part of the nation’s food supply they did not fall within their jurisdiction. Yorktown Tech was summarily granted the right to move forward at the federal level. The state of California, however, was not convinced. They did back down from their original stance and agreed to allow the sell of Glofish if Yorktown submitted to more extensive research in the area of risk assessment. Unfortunately, said research would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take years to complete. Glofish have been sold in 49 of the 50 states in the U.S. since Dec. 2003. The sell or possession of Glofish is still prohibited in the State of California.

From an ecological standpoint, this is not simply a matter of genetic engineering. The southern platyfish, a native of Central America, is wreaking havoc in Hong Kong’s freshwater ecosystems because of aquarium trade related releases into the wild. Its genetic cousin, the swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri) is endemic to both North and South America. Swordtails prefer the swift moving water and heavy vegetation of tropical rivers and streams but can make themselves right at home in creeks and canals. Consequently, they can adapt to a multitude of freshwater ecosystems. The swordtail’s prolific breeding has wreaked havoc on previously uninhabited ecosystems. Feral populations are significant in both Africa and Australia. This nuisance species has caused serious ecological damage on two continents. It is for this very reason that the sell of piranhas is illegal in most of the United States. If a seemingly harmless species such as swordtails and platyfish can inflict such damage on pre-established ecosystem one doesn’t even want to consider what would happen if one of the most fearsome predators on the face of the planet was suddenly introduced at the top of the food chain. Point of fact: The sell and ownership of piranhas was legal in the U.S. until piranha specimens were discovered in the wild most likely after their intentional release because they had outgrown their fish tanks.

Do Glofish pose a threat? The end of World War II marked beginning of an explosion in the aquarium trade industry. There is only a single gene separating Glofish from their natural counterpart, zebra danio. Over 200 million of these fish have been imported and sold in the U.S. alone over the past half century. Zebrafish are incapable of surviving the temperate water conditions in all but the most southern states. To date, there has not been a single report of an established reproducing population in the wild anywhere in the United States.

Fluorescing fish are the first and might very possibly go down in history as the only genetically modified animals to be commercially sold as pets, at least in the immediately foreseeable future. In a day and age when pigs, rabbits, and even household pets such as dogs and cats florescence, perhaps keeping the genetic genie tightly sealed in its bottle is wise. Fifty years from now, however, not having a dog or a cat that literally glows in the dark might be considered extremely old fashion or possibly even irresponsible pet ownership. I’ll leave that up to the future to decide. As for me, it’s time to call this a wrap. I have to feed my Glofish.

Glofish only reach 1.5 to 2 inches long when fully grown. You don’t practically need a large aquarium to display them. They would be right at home in a desktop aquarium. To get more fun filled facts on commonly kept freshwater aquarium fish browse through my fish buying guide.