A decision support software for safely conducting research with genetically modified fish and shellfish

Abstract

Science-based assessment and management of any specific risks is needed for sustainable use of genetically modified aquatic organisms (aquatic GMOs). The Performance Standards for Safely Conducting Research with Genetically Modified Fish and Shellfish were developed to guide risk assessment and risk management for proposed experiments with aquatic GMOs. A researcher answers a series of questions about the organism and the accessible aquatic ecosystem, leading to either identification of specific risks or to the conclusion that there is a specific reason for safety of the experiment. Should any specific risk be identified, the researcher is led to consider risk management measures, involving culture methods, facilities design, and operations management. Documented completion of the Performance Standards can facilitate approval of an experiment by oversight authorities. The Performance Standards were adopted by the US Department of Agriculture in 1996. The Performance Standards were converted into an interactive, computer-based decision support tool, which can be obtained on diskette from the authors or accessed from the Internet at http://www.nbiap.vt.edu. A DOS-based program (693 kilobytes) can be downloaded and run on any DOS-based microcomputer with a 386 or later processor. Alternatively, an interactive, Internet browser-based program, accessible at the same website, also offers pictures of key equipment and facilities. Within either format, explanatory text, literature citations, and a glossary are accessible from any point in the decision-making path. The software automatically generates a trace of the user's path through the decision questions, thereby automating completion of most of the worksheet.