FOR the first time, biologists are planning to genetically modify an invasive species with the express purpose of killing it off.
The target is a European species of carp that has taken over many Australian rivers and streams. Researchers are planning to use gene technology to stop the fish producing female offspring, forcing the population to crash. But before that can happen, the scientists will have to show that the strategy, which has already been shown to work in lab fish, won’t create more problems than it solves.
Ron Thresher of the CSIRO, Australia’s national research organisation, and his team…
