Water Policy Article Risk, regulation and innovation: The case of aquaculture and transgenic fish

Abstract. This paper reviews the public and scientific debates over the risks and benefits of aquaculture and aquatic biotechnology worldwide, and in the United States in particular. The basic argument is that business tends to respond to uncertainty with innovation in man-agement and technology. Technological evolution in the fish business is therefore interpreted as a continuous re-sponse to new environmental and socioeconomic uncer-tainties and subsequent regulation. The use of aquatic biotechnology in fish breeding is just the latest techno-logical response, but also the most controversial. Growth-enhanced transgenic salmon may become the first bio-engineered animal product approved for use as food in th