The nation's first genetically altered pet, the GloFish, will be sold by a local company to pet stores beginning Jan 5.
The GloFish is a zebra fish with a gene extracted from jelly fish that makes the normally gray and black fish a fluorescent red in normal light, and glow under ultraviolet light. The creatures, created at the National University of Singapore are being marketed by Austin-based Yorktown Tech-nologies.
"The fish were created to be selectively fluorescent when environmental toxins are present," said Yorktown CEO, Alan Blake. "Fluorescent technology has been around a long time, and the idea of the GloFish is to share that this exists with the public."
Since announcing his plans on Friday, Blake has been swamped with inquiries from media and people interested in the product.
"The demand for this has been enormous," Blake said.
Segrest Farms and 5-D Tropical, Inc., which produce more than one-third of ornamental fish sold in the United States, will breed and distribute GloFish.
Some critics question the ethics of manipulating the genetic configuration of an animal for use as a household pet.
"I think it is morally repugnant," said Caroline Estes, owner of Amazonia Aquariums. "We are too stupid to play God. You don't know what all of the long-term repercussions might be on the ecosystem. There are plenty of beautiful, naturally-occurring fish without creating Frankenstein fish in the lab."
Blake said the fish are "ultimately on very ethical ground" since they were developed from research to combat environmental pollution. Also, Blake said the GloFish would not be able to adapt to ecosystems in the United States, and would be unable to harm them.
Other local pet store owners have no problem with selling the altered fish.
"I will probably wind up carrying them," said Steven Chapman, the owner of Pet Corral and Fish Depot. "If it doesn't physically hurt the fish - if they can still swim and breed - I don't see anything wrong with them."
GloFish will cost about $5 each, four to five times more than zebra fish, Blake said.
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