Journal of FisheriesSciences.com E-ISSN 1307-234X © 2016 www.fsheriessciences.com Review Article 52 10(3): 52-65 (2016) * Correspondence to: Hirak Kumar Barman, Fish Genetics and Biotechnology Division, ICAR - Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar 751 002, Odisha, India; Tel: +916742465407; E-mail: Hirak.Barman@icar.gov.in Status of Transgenic Fish Produc ton wi th Emphasis on Development of Food Fishes and Novel Color Varietes of Ornamen tal Fish: Implica ton and Future Perspec tves Kiran Dashrath Rasal 1 , Vemulawada Chakrapani 1 , Swagat Kumar Patra 1 , Arun S Ninawe 2 , Jitendra Kumar Sundaray 1 , Pallipuram Jayasankar 1 and Hirak Kumar Barman 1 * 1 Fish Genetics and Biotechnology Division, ICAR - Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar 751 002, Odisha, India 2 Department of Biotechnology, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003, India Received: 01.07.2016 / Accepted: 09.08.2016 / Published online: 25.08.2016 Abstract: Transgenesis is the revolutionary science of making a genetically modifed organism. Interestingly, fsh offer easier genetic manipulation compared to mammalian counterpart, as they bred easily and large number of eggs is laid by female (higher fecundity) and have independent embryonic biology. The primary goals for genetic manipulation of fsh species used in aquaculture are to: a) Intensify the growth and effciency of food conservation, b) Increase tolerance to environmental variables, such as temperature and salinity, c) Bring out new color variants of ornamental fshes, and d) Develop disease resistant forms. The different approaches for transgenic fsh production have been practiced, each having advantages and disadvantages demanding further improvements. Although selective breeding technology has demonstrated its impact on fsh production, it is a time-consuming; whereas genetic improvement by direct gene manipulation of transgenic approach could be accomplished inside a span of years. Therefore, both the traditional selective breeding and transgenic approaches are required to supplement dramatically heightened future food requirements because of the growth in human population. We have likewise concentrated on strategies towards value-addition to ornamental fshes by developing novel color variants. With the huge variety of fshes, transgenesis could be useful for bringing forward a new color form of ornamental species and to control reproductive performance or sexual phenotype. The ecological, ethical and biosafety issues associated with transgenic fshes are discussed. The suitable techniques being used to produce transgenic fshes are also discussed. Concerns associated with the stability of the introduced transgenes in fshes vis-a-vis future perspectives have been deliberate. Keywords: Fish transgenesis; GMOs; GloFish; AquAdvantage salmon; Gene targeting