3.4 Future possibilities
 

           It is unsurprising, that field trials of transgenic growth-enhanced fish are already underway in various countries and that growth enhancement in fish species such as salmonids, common carp and tilapia may well become one of the most tangible benefits of the application of the transgenic technology to animals. especially if growth enhancement can be combined with sterility in species such as tilapia, the benefits of fish farming could surely be substantial.

       In addition to growth enhancement, there are longer term prospects for fish which are more cold tolerant or freeze resistant, or resistant to a range of viral or bacterial diseases. Also, DNA vaccination of young fish may well offer improvements over conventional, protein-based immunisation.

       Two other prospects deserve a mention. One is the future application of the transgenic technology to shellfish such as shrimp or abalone. Research is under way on both of these fronts but is rather preliminary. The second is the possible use of fish as biofactories for the production of valuable pharmaceutical products. Some laboratories have already taken out patents to cover such experiments and it may be that fish stocks will future come to rival sheep as producers of a₁-antitrypsin, anti-haemophilic factor 9 or other valuable and desirable products.
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