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Alligator-Catfish Hybrids Are Being Spawned in an Alabama Lab

Using gene-editing technology and just a pinch of alligator DNA, scientists at Auburn have created a sterile, hybrid species of catfish they say is more resistant to infection

By Dac Collins | Published Feb 2, 2023 5:04 PM

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Catfish farming is a huge industry both here in the United States and abroad. Adobe stock
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In an effort to build a better catfish, researchers at Auburn University have genetically engineered a hybrid catfish species using alligator DNA. The methodology might sound scary. But the byproducts are nearly identical to the farm-raised catfish sold in grocery stores throughout the country. Still, regulatory approval isn’t a guarantee and these reptilian mud kitties won’t end up on the shelves anytime soon.
Creating a More Resilient Catfish

Americans eat a lot of catfish, and it’s impossible to put a number on how many chuckleheads we catch and cook on an annual basis. Regardless, it’s not enough to satisfy the overall demand. In 2021 alone, we imported around 256 million pounds of it from other countries. Meanwhile, we commercially produced another 307 million pounds here at home. Most of these farm-raised fish come from the South—primarily Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas—where the deep-fried delicacy’s true soulmate, the “hush puppy,” was born.

Read Next: How to Catch Catfish in Winter

The only problem with raising catfish in farm ponds is that these water bodies turn into breeding grounds for disease. Farmers lose a huge number of fish every year to various infections. That’s why researchers at Auburn University are trying to create a more resilient catfish. With some genetic engineering and just a pinch of alligator DNA, a team of scientists have successfully spawned a new hybrid catfish species that they believe can better resist infection.

To achieve this, the research team led by Rex Dunham and Baofeng Su is using CRISPR technology, which allows scientists to edit and alter the genes of plants and animals. They were already looking for a genetic component to increase the heartiness of freshwater catfish. That search led them to a unique protein found in alligators called cathlecidin. In an interview with the Ireland-based Fish Site, Dunham explained that this antimicrobial protein is thought to protect alligators from developing infections in their wounds. The team figured if they could insert this gene into catfish, they’d end up with a more resilient fish.
Ethical Concerns

One fear that came up during the experiment was the risk of a genetically modified super-fish escaping from farms and disrupting neighboring ecosystems. To prevent this, they used the CRISPR gene-editing tool to remove a catfish gene associated with reproduction. They replaced it with the alligator gene. With these genes swapped, the hybrid catfish are unable to reproduce.

Follow-up experiments proved that the survival rates of these hybrid fish were “between two- and five-fold higher,” according to Dunham. While they haven’t been peer-reviewed yet, their findings have since been published in bioRxiv.

Because of the ethical concerns surrounding CRISPR technology and genetic modification, regulatory approval for these hybrid catfish isn’t a certainty. The experiment has already raised doubts among the larger scientific community as well. Some have argued that even if these hybrids are more resilient, most fish farmers don’t have a use for lab-spawned, sterile fish. And even though the hybrid species is still just a catfish, there’s also the marketing problem of selling hybridized alligator-catfish to consumers.

Dunham and Su think people could eventually come around to the idea, and Dunham explained that it’s unlikely anybody would notice a difference in the meat itself. “I would eat it in a heartbeat,” he said.

phuggin Fauci!!!!!

actually I read about it a few days ago.

questionable value, fun to catch I bet

If they won’t eat idiots what good are they?

Feed them libs!

Heard about that over the weekend... of course like all rumors it was that they were already being put in lakes across the US... I was going to research it for myself but forgot.

Kent

They keep messing with chit. They need to leave it alone

Hopefully the GatorCats' preferred diet is Democrats.

Yep
Commyfornia and Arizona are spending Millions on trying to clean up the Gene Pool of fish in these States because of what we did all the way back in the 1800s.

I am sure there are other States as well.

Know it all Scientists screw more things up than they solve.

You can't make shiit like this up!

Reminds me of Tripoid Carp..... gov. guaranteed for years that they were sterile and spread them all over the south to combat excessive plant growth in lakes. They they found hatchlings, in a tank of guaranteed sterile carp.

Dumbazz government!

There is no way that this story doesn't turn into a movie on the sci-fi channel.

"There's no unauthorized breeding in Jurassic Park."

Bet that noodling just got a lot more exciting

This is exactly what happens when coonass’s become scientist. Gatorcats!!

I am convinced part of the violence referred to in Genesis 6 is this very thing. It is violence against God's creation.

What a shame and a lost opportunity. They could’ve crossbred the Crappy and really had something.

Triploid fish are sterile. Period. End of discussion. I can go into all the genetic reasons why, but nobody wants to read that here.

That said, the various methods to induce triploidity are not 100% (except for one, but it’s not used for grass carp as far as I know) so once in a while a normal diploid fish will slip in. For fish sold in all western states, each fish is therefore individually checked, which involves human interpretation of the test. That has potential for failure.

I like gator meat better than catfish.

Seems a step backward.

The lab is in Alabama not Louisiana!!!

You got here before I could ask "Where's Dutch"


Seems the preponderance of replies so far is that this is "wrong".


Yet, a few days back many on this forum were highly in favor of GMO plants for their farms and that of others?




Don't worry, proponents of GMO stuff.............if this turns out to be viable, the product will be available. Might not be grown here, but there will be overseas producers ready to jump on it in a heartbeat. Anyone notice how much "catfish" is imported yearly? Hint.