They’re red, they glow, and they’ll be swimming soon in an aquarium near you.
They’re GloFish, the United States’ first genetically altered fish. And they’ve been banned in England and in California, where some critics fear they could escape into the wild and harm native fish populations, while others oppose mixing different species on ethical grounds.
GloFish are to make their official debut Monday, but advance shipments have been sent to some Reno stores since December.
Dubbed “Frankenfish” by opponents, GloFish were created by scientists at the National University of Singapore, who took black-and-silver zebra fish and spliced them with the gene from a sea anemone. The result was a freshwater fish with a bright red color that, particularly under ultraviolet or black light, appears to glow.
This new transgenic species of fish originally was developed to detect pollution by glowing if mercury or other heavy-metal contaminates were present. But its scientific use was eclipsed by its commercial potential as a household pet.
Larry Newman, owner of Ofishal Aquarium on Lakeside Drive, received a shipment of about 100 GloFish last week.
“We’ll probably sell those 100 within four days,” Newman said. “I’ve had a waiting list for them since people first read about them coming out on the market a month ago.”
The luminous fish grow to about 2 inches and retail for $5 each.
And they’re completely harmless, Newman said, even if a 2-year-old or the family cat swallows one.
“They’re safe because the glow is just the result of a spliced gene from a sea anemone, not from any chemical or anything toxic.”
Anne White, 37, of Reno said she wouldn’t be afraid to put genetically engineered GloFish in her family’s aquarium.
“The kids would love them,” White said of her children, Amanda, 8, Bryan, 10, and Chris, 13, as they helped her pick out a hermit crab at a local pet store.
Looking at a picture of a school of GloFish, Chris said, “I like them. They look cool.”
Pet Supermarket on Northtowne Lane in Reno has been getting shipments of GloFish for about a month, said Beth Challacomb, an assistant manager.
“They go very quickly,” she said.
But Petsmart store officials in Reno and Carson City have said they will not offer GloFish in their stores.
“We typically don’t carry anything that’s genetically altered,” said Diane Hines, a manager at Carson City’s Petsmart. “We don’t have the glass fish that are injected with dyes, either, because it’s cruelty to animals.”
GloFish are a trademark product marketed by Yorktown Technologies of Texas, which also plans to sell tropical fish implanted with a jellyfish gene that gives them a bright green tint.
California is the only state where Yorktown needs permission to sell its fish because the state’s Fish and Game Commission last year adopted a wide-ranging restriction against genetically engineered aquatic animals.
Nevada has no such restriction, but it does prohibit people from releasing tropical fish into area ponds or waterways. Violators can be prosecuted for a misdemeanor.
“The real issue with GloFish is more or less the same concern we have with all tropical fish,” said Rich Haskins, who heads the Fisheries Bureau of the Nevada Department of Wildlife. “People get tired of them and flush them down the toilet or release them in their local pond.”
Then they reproduce, compete for food sources or eat the larvae of native fish, he said.
GloFish and other tropical fish typically need water between 72 and 85 degrees, but Haskins said that goldfish, mollies and other aquarium fish have survived in Nevada waters even after winter.
“A lot of our native fish are found in warm springs, so we have areas where tropical fish do survive,” Haskins said. “Talapia are becoming a big issue in Lake Mead and in tributaries where they have reproduced and are causing a problem with the native fish.”
California wildlife officials admit they won’t be able to stop residents who decide to come to Nevada to buy GloFish to bring back over the border, although they would be guilty of a misdemeanor.
“We’ve prohibited aquarium business owners from stocking them, but we can’t keep individuals from going to Reno and buying a couple of these fish because they look cool,” said Troy Swauger, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“We will not have fish cops knocking on their doors, but we do take this seriously,” Swauger said. “We hope people are aware of the regulations and won’t knowingly and willingly break the law.