Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski, who has been fighting the sale of genetically modified salmon in the United States, could still throw a spanner in the works for producer AquaBounty if she is able to overrule the federal process through her involvement in the Senate Appropriations Committee this week, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The US Food and Drug Administration recently lifted a 2016 import alert that prevented AquaBounty's AquAdvantage genetically engineered salmon or salmon eggs from entering the United States, paving the way for the product to be raised in the United States and sold to US consumers.

The FDA approval was a major loss for leaders in Alaska who have been fighting to restrict the sale of the fish in the United States.

"We are hopeful that Congress and the administration will allow the important innovations represented by our AquAdvantage salmon to thrive consistent with the federal policies with which we’ve complied, and will not enact a rider ban that harms American jobs and innovation, AquaBounty's Dave Conley told IntraFish.

"Developing a robust domestic aquaculture industry based on sound science and innovative technologies is important for our nation’s future food security," he added.