Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to thank the witnesses for being here today.
My first question is for Mr. Fletcher.
You have spent almost your entire career as an aquaculture scientist. You have shown that it is possible to transfer genes from one fish species to another. It involved modifying the genome to obtain specific characteristics to improve a species.
Today we're talking about genetically modified foods. Genetic modifications happen now naturally, mainly through accidents of nature or by natural selection. You acted more quickly by transferring genes from one species of fish to another.
Did you gain anything in terms of generations or did you straight out reinvent a species of salmon by modifying it using the genome of another species? Are we getting closer to the limit of this? Is it a good idea to pursue this or should we instead leave more to natural selection?