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Depending on who you ask, genetically modified foods are either something that will cause the downfall of mankind and destroy human health, or the only possible way to support a growing human population that is continually taxing the ability of the Earth to sustain the human race.

However you feel about the issue, the Food and Drug Administration has opened a new front in the debate on the merits of GMOs by approving GMO salmon for public consumption, according to a release on the FDA's website.

The FDA has determined that GMO Atlantic salmon from the company AquAdvantage is both as safe and nutritious as its organic and natural counterpart.

Salmon typically only grow in the spring and summer, meaning it can take around three years for a farmed salmon to reach maturity, while those in the wild can take even longer. AquAdvantage salmon have had genes inserted into their genetic sequence that allow the fish to grow all year, reducing maturation time to between 16 and 18 months.

The FDA found that the inserted genes were stable over several generations of fish and the genes did not have any unintended consequences or ill effects. There are also no negative health effects for the fish itself, another crucial factor in the FDA's approval.

The FDA also says that there is an extremely low likelihood of the fish escaping into the wild and mingling with unmodified population because the AquAdvantage fish are farmed in facilities on land in Canada and Panama.