Climate change is coming for our sushi, reports Bloomberg—but biotech already has solutions to ensure we can keep on enjoying it.
The extreme drought in California is hitting the U.S. rice supply chain hard, reports Bloomberg. California’s Sacramento Valley is the source of much of America’s rice, yet farmers are only planting half as much as usual due to the conditions.
Irrigation from the Sacramento River is helping—to the detriment of the fish. “Low water levels and scorching weather have raised river temperatures so much that almost all the juveniles of an endangered salmon species could be cooked to death this fall.”
Meanwhile, salmon are being trucked to cooler waters to help them (and the fisheries) survive—but the problem is getting worse.
Hey! Biotech has solutions for the rice—gene editing, which is allowing researchers to develop rice that’s more resilient in the face of climate change and yields more crop, and also making it more nutritious to help solve hunger.
Biotech has a solution for the salmon, too—thanks to BIO member AquaBounty, which is producing genetically engineered Atlantic salmon that are more efficient and sustainable to grow.
AquaBounty is not only creating a more sustainable food supply chain, but also boosting the economy. With the salmon approved for consumption in the United States, AquaBounty completed its first harvest in Indiana and has plans to expand.
