New Israel - PA Joint Project: Sex Change for Fish

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New Israel - PA Joint Project: Sex Change for Fish
21:17 Sep 28, '06 / 6 Tishrei 5767
by Hana Levi Julian
 

It might seem a little strange, but Israeli and Palestinian Authority scientists have begun a new joint project they hope will contribute to the local food chain: turning female fish into males. 


Researchers from Hebrew University, the University of Hohenheim in Germany and al-Quds University in East Jerusalem are working together on the project to persuade fish to change their gender.

According to Mutaz Qutob, a PA chemist quoted in a report by the Haaretz news service, Nile Tilapia males are one-third heavier than the female of the species, making them a better bet for dinner.

Qutob explained that compounds from plants found in Judea and Samaria will be added to food fed to the newborn fish. Researchers hope the supplements – from plants often used locally as seasonings – will shift the metabolic structure of the fish, transforming females into the heftier males.

The idea is not new, according to HU researcher Berta Sivan, who worked with scientists on the initial project which used synthetic steroids to produce male fish. Steroids were regarded as less healthy, however; hence, the more natural approach using plant compounds.

The project is aimed at producing a new food source for PA Arabs while solving a fish-breeding problem at Israeli farms which export to the PA. Consumption in the PA territories has dropped significantly since skyrocketing costs and trade restrictions have tightened accessibility on both sides.

Joint projects between researchers in Israel and the PA are usually conducted in separate venues, with meetings and data-sharing by phone, fax and internet communications, due to travel restrictions and security issues.

An organization which helps find funding for joint Israeli-PA projects said the number of proposals for agricultural, educational, environmental and medical studies is growing. Hassan Dweik, co-director of the Israeli-Palestinian Science Organization said 74 proposals were submitted this year alone for joint studies by Israeli and PA researchers.

“Israelis and Palestinians who cooperate on research tend to try to work harder during politically critical times,” Dweik commented.
 

[Rhuan]

This is disgusting, it is not for men to change the way that the Lord has made an animal.

[Shlomo]

This is disgusting, it is not for men to change the way that the Lord has made an animal.

I don't think they were changing the way G-d made fish... they were just putting herbs in the water to try and boost male fish hormones.

I think the point was that some arabs and Israelis were working together... of course only really for the arabs' benifit.

[genteelgentile]

Too bad we can't work on sex changes for a-rab men.....

[Yochanan Zev]

This is already occuring in the US.  I read somewhere recently that authories had discovered that some largemouth and smallmouth bass in the Potomac River had both sexes.  They attributed this to the high levels of estrogen and pollutants in the water.