Aquabounty Technologies, company based in Maynard, Massachusetts, has sold nearly 5 tons of genetically engineered salmon to customers in Canada, after the company received approval from food and health authorities. This is the first time that a genetically engineered animal has ever been sold for consumption on the open market.
The shipment of GM salmon to Canada accounted for 53,000 dollars in sales revenue for the second quarter of this year, according to the company’s latest report on the results for the second quarter.
“This quarter marked two milestone events for AquaBounty—the purchase of our first commercial farm site for the production of our eco-friendly AquAdvantage Salmon in the United States and the very first sales of AquAdvantage Salmon,” Ronald Stotish, Chief Executive Officer of AquaBounty, said in a statement. “The sale and discussions with potential buyers clearly demonstrate that customers want our fish, and we look forward to increasing our production capacity to meet demand.”
Aquabounty’s operating expenses were up slightly to 2.1 million dollars in the second quarter of the year from 2.0 million dollars in the corresponding period of 2016, “primarily due to the increased costs associated with being a public company in the United States,” according to the company’s press release.
