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37 °F 5 Day Forecast Monday, December 8, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 4, 2003 The creation of GloFish, a genetically altered glow-in-the-dark aquarium fish, has drawn a fluorescent line in the sand among its detractors. GloFish bring new light to age-old genetics dispute Outdoors By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune It sounds like a Dr. Seuss meets Frankenstein movie. One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish gives way next month to no fish, blow fish, go fish ... GloFish. A fluorescent, glow-in-the-dark aquarium fish called the GloFish will hit store shelves in Oregon and across the county next month in what its creators are calling America’s first genetically altered pet. This freshwater zebra fish spiced with sea coral genes appear to glow in the dark and cast a brilliant red hue under ultraviolet light. The small fish will be available Jan. 5 and will retail for about $5. Advertisement These lava lamp-like critters, which Time Magazine calls one of this year’s "Coolest Inventions," likely will be hot sellers among aquarium enthusiasts who are always looking for splashes of color among freshwater fish. "I’m sure anything with color that goes in freshwater will be a good seller," says Alan Schmatz, owner of Nui Kai Fish Co. in downtown Medford. But not everyone is excited to see these so-called "Frankenfish" allowed in the mix. Though its creators say the zebra fish cannot tolerate cool waters and won’t survive if released into the wild, critics like Washington, D.C. attorney Peter Jenkins say the GloFish shouldn’t see the light of day here — not so much because of the GloFish but more the precedent they set. The federal Food and Drug Administration has said it will not regulate genetically altered pets like they do food and drugs, so today’s swimming night-lights could pave the way for things far more bizarre, Jenkins says. "It’s opening the flood gates," says Jenkins, attorney and policy analyst for the D.C.-based watchdog group Center for Food Safety. "I don’t think people are comfortable realizing that any (genetically engineered) animal can be created and sold as a pet," Jenkins says. "If we start seeing green dogs or cats that are halfway between the size of a house cat and a tiger, I think they’ll be a backlash and people will ask why the FDA hasn’t regulated them. All those are feasible." GloFish were created more than a decade ago in by scientists in Singapore who injected genes from sea coral into zebra fish eggs before they hatched. The resulting fish not only kept their bright, fluorescent colors, they also passed them on to their offspring. Originally, the fish were bred to help fight environmental pollution; the intent is to create a fish whose color would change in the presence of specific toxins, like a swimming litmus test for pollutants. Then Florida-based Yorktown Technologies swung a deal with the creator to import the fish as pets. The red GloFish will be available Jan. 5, says a company spokesperson, who declines to reveal her name. Green and yellow GloFish are expected to hit the market by next Christmas, she says. The California Department of Fish and Game recommended recently to a state commission that the fish pose no environmental threat and should be allowed into the state. Yorktown Technologies Texas-based spokeswoman declined to comment on the debate, saying only that tests prove they cannot survive outside warm-water aquariums. The company’s founder, Alan Blake, was testifying before the California Fish and Game Commission on Wednesday and was unavailable for comment. Despite Oregon’s strict laws banning the importation of many exotic species, the state has no regulations for genetically altered pets, says Larry Cooper, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist who oversaw the crafting of these so-called "Wildlife Integrity" rules. "Even a genetically altered critter is still a critter of that species, so it would be considered a zebra fish," Cooper says. While debates about genetically engineered animals tend to swirl here around species like salmon, Cooper sees the pet debate in the not-too-distant horizon. "It’s getting to be a hot issue in food," Cooper says. "It’s something we’ll see more of." Imagine fluorescent ferrets, neon guinea pigs and day-glo cats. Glow-in-the-dark Labradors would be a hot ticket for duck hunters keeping tabs on retrievers. Jenkins says biologists and geneticists on a multi-agency team created during the Clinton Administration imagined them and recommended that the FDA review and approve "GE" pets like they do food. The current FDA has backed away. "We just want them to go through the approval process," Jenkins says. "Until then, anybody with a genetically altered animal can market them here as long as they call them pets." Despite the Dr. Seuss-like sound of the phrase "watch out for the GloFish," issue on the surface, ODFW officials say the GloFish issue shows wildlife agencies need to prepare for how people use technology to tamper with animals. "It’s not something to laugh at," says Steve Williams, head of the ODFW’s Fish Division. "A few glowing zebra fish is one thing. But we humans have been able to do some pretty weird stuff. This is something we’ll need to look at seriously." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times