With an aim to put an end to the scourge of overfishing, a Californian start-up has created a lab-based salmon grown from stem cells
Excellent for sushi, sashimi and maki, Wildtype's salmon is as versatile as the real thing. However, this is fish that has never been anywhere near the sea. The Californian start-up has grown it in a lab using stem cells taken from wild Pacific salmon. The goal of the company, which was founded by a cardiologist and a diplomat, is to protect the dangerously low stocks of real fish.
According to the WWF, stocks of salmon are under threat. Global consumption of the fish has tripled since the 1980s. Some 93 per cent of Atlantic salmon is now farmed, and wild salmon stocks are not only threatened by overfishing, but also by global warming—like most fish, salmon are cold-blooded—and dwindling levels of prey.