Following directions from American lawmakers, the Food and Drug Administration has prohibited the sale of genetically engineered salmon, a move that has been adopted to ensure the consumers know whether the fish they are consuming has been genetically altered.

The step, which is likely to have a major impact on the sea food world, comes almost a month after the FDA approved AquAdvantage salmon, which is produced by Massachusetts-based AquaBounty, as the first genetically modified animal species “safe” for human consumption.

The advocates who are opposed to genetically modified food reaching US households claim the Atlantic salmon has a growth hormone from a Chinook salmon and a gene from the ocean pout, both of which together help it grow large enough for consumption in 18 months instead of the typical three years.

For its part, the FDA has said its approval was “based on sound science and a comprehensive review, and that regulators are confident the genetically altered fish is safe to eat”.

But the argument has failed to suffice environmental activists and fishermen who fear the AquaBounty's salmon could spell doom if any of it made way into ocean waters and mated with wild salmon.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) questioned whether this fish could even be called a salmon. “The FDA made no mandatory labeling requirement. Instead, they said it could be labeled voluntarily", said Sen. Murkowski.