International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol.15, No.2, 45-56 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ija 54 7.2 Regulatory policies and global comparisons of gene editing products Regulatory policies for gene-edited organisms in countries around the world are still evolving. Compared with traditional GMOs, gene editing, especially edited organisms without exogenous DNA insertions, have been proposed to implement relatively loose supervision in many countries. The United States considered exempting some gene-edited crops from genetically modified regulations around 2020, but the regulation of animals is still relatively strict and the FDA will manage it according to the review of new animal drugs. In 2022, the US FDA approved a case of gene-edited cattle for food for the first time (Eriksson et al., 2019), and its editing only causes gene deletion in natural mutant forms. This case shows a trend of regulators’ recognition of security. However, gene-edited shrimp as aquatic animals may be more cautious in regulation. The EU currently tends to treat gene-edited organisms equally with genetically modified organisms, requiring cumbersome approval procedures. In contrast, Japan, Brazil and other countries have taken a more open attitude towards gene-edited foods that do not contain exogenous fragments: Japan has launched gene-edited puffer fish and tomatoes, and the government regards such products as non-traditional genetically modified. China also pays great attention to gene editing in the agricultural field. In the revised draft of the safety management measures for agricultural genetically modified organisms released in 2022, it was proposed for the first time that gene-edited organisms can be different from genetically modified organisms. This means that if a new gene-edited aquatic product does not contain exogenous genes and its mutations can occur in nature, the approval process is expected to be simplified (Yang et al., 2023). In fact, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China has accepted several safety evaluation applications for gene-edited aquatic animals and is organizing expert reviews. The differences in regulation among countries have led to challenges in international trade in gene-edited products. If one country recognizes it but another country does not, market access will arise. Therefore, coordination is also being sought internationally, such as the International Organization for Standardization and Codex Alimentarius Commission, which began to discuss guidelines for gene-edited foods, striving to unify standards based on scientific risk assessments. 7.3 Issues of public awareness and social acceptance Any promotion of emerging biotechnology cannot be separated from public understanding and support. Gene-edited shrimp, as a new product on the table, is based on how consumers think about gene editing. Research shows that when the public learns about the health and environmental benefits of gene editing, acceptance will be significantly improved. Especially in China, a recent consumer survey showed that more than 80% of respondents expressed willingness to try gene-edited foods and trusted the government and scientific institutions to check such foods. This provides a good social foundation for the promotion of gene-edited aquatic products. However, on the other hand, some consumers still have doubts about "genetic modification" and are concerned about food safety or ethical issues (Plate-Church, 2019). Therefore, it is very necessary to strengthen popular science publicity, and it is necessary to clarify the difference between gene editing and genetic modification. Again, authoritative endorsement is important. Let well-known scientists and nutritionists explain the safety of gene-edited foods to increase public trust. At the same time, when the product is launched, the regulatory authorities should do a good job in labeling and traceability, and the information is open and transparent. Acknowledgements The author gratefully acknowledges the support provided by Huang L., and thanks the two peer reviewers for their valuable suggestions. Conflict of Interest Disclosure The author confirms that the study was conducted without any commercial or financial relationships and could be interpreted as a potential conflict of interest. References Agha A.S.A.A., Al-Samydai A., and Aburjai T., 2025, New frontiers in CRISPR: Addressing antimicrobial resistance with Cas9, Cas12, Cas13, and Cas14, Heliyon, 2025: e42013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42013
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