If you like healthy food and biotechnology, you’ll love the news. Japan has given the go-ahead to market two CRISPR-edited fishes: a tiger puffer and a red sea bream, both developed by Regional Fish Co. together with Kyoto University and Kindai University.

The first meals were reserved for a few lucky supporters joining a crowdfunding campaign at Campfire. Then an e-commerce website was launched. The faster-growing animals are expected to reduce production costs and make fish farming more sustainable.

The trick used in tiger puffers is to knockout the leptin receptor which controls appetite. For red sea bream, the genetic target is myostatin, which suppresses muscle growth.

A CRISPR-edited tomato was also recently approved for commercial sale in Japan. To learn more about fish&tomatoes, please read Science Speaks – a blog by ISAAA and Nature Biotechnology.