Our FDA is flirting with disaster. Atlantic salmon will be in danger of extinction when these genetically modified frankenfish escape their pens. This is an incredible risk to take just so that one company can profit from it.
The FDA is not qualified to assess migratory fish. This should be at the EPA or Department of State. The FDA should have refused to review AquaBounty's petition.
TELL THE FDA:
DON'T APPROVE GEO ATLANTIC SALMON
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTSGENETICALLY ENGINEERED FISH pose serious risks to wild populations of fish and the marine environment. Each year, an estimated two million salmon escape from open- water net pens into the North Atlantic, outcompeting wild populations for resources and straining ecosystems.3The risks of escaped GE salmon include the transgenic contamination of wild fish stocks, out-competing wild fish for food and mates, spreading lethal diseases and parasites, and disrupting food webs in local environments. While AquaBounty has promised to raise its GE salmon in land- based facilities, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recommends that the introduction of species for aquaculture be considered as introductions to the wild, even if the facility is considered a closed system.4Scientists have hypothesized that GE salmon escapes would not just wreak havoc on local ecosystems, but could lead to the eventual extinction of wild populations as a result of the “Trojan gene effect.”That is, the introduction of fast- growing transgenic fish with enhanced mating success but reduced adult viability into a wild population may result in a rapid population decline. Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that a release of just sixty GE fish into a wild population of 60,000 would lead to the extinction of the wild population in less than 40 generations.5Even though AquaBounty makes the claim to FDA that it will only produce sterile female fish, information present- ed in FDA’s own draft Environmental Assessment indicates that up to 5% of the fish could be fertile and able to repro- duce.6 AquaBounty will also keep large stocks of fertile fish to produce offspring, and fish are known to change sex, raising additional concerns about fish escaping and reproducing in the wild.7 A 2011 study published by Canadian scientists concluded that if GE Atlantic salmon were to escape from captivity, they could succeed in breed- ing and passing their genes into the wild.8Knowing that these foreseeable impacts would cause significant regulatory scrutiny, AquaBounty claims that it will only produce its fish in a scheme involving: growing the eggs at its Prince Edward Island facility in Canada, flying them to a land-based facility in Panama to be raised, and finally shipping the processed salmon to U.S. markets.Yet we know that it is not economically viable to farm salmon in this way. Salmon are commercially farmed in open-water net pens, where escapes are a regular occurrence. AquaBounty’ s smokescreen is intended to breach the regulatory door, and it has stated its future plans to grow the fish elsewhere in the U.S.9FROM:
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/CFS_FSR_GE_Fish.pdfCREDO ACTION:
Its approval would be a radical move by the FDA — the first genetically modified animal ever to enter our food supply. It's no wonder the FDA posted its final review, clearing the way for approval, on the Friday before the Christmas holiday, when few people would notice.
The FDA is now taking public comments on its study, which is expected to lead to approval of the frankenfish. This is our last chance to keep GMO salmon off our grocery store shelves, and stop the dangerous trend of introducing GM animals into our food supply.AquaBounty's frankenfish is an Atlantic salmon, spliced with genes from an eel pout and growth hormone from a Chinook salmon. The result is a salmon that produces growth hormone year-round and grows twice as fast. The risks are myriad.
The fish hasn't been proven safe for humans. But the FDA is preparing to approve it based on a limited, flawed and inadequate study — even thought the same study identified elevated allergy-causing potential,1 and elevated levels of the IGF-1 growth hormone, which is linked to colon, prostate and breast cancers. Clearly more study is needed to determine the safety or danger of GMO salmon.2
Were GMO salmon to escape its farms into the wild, the fish would pose a serious risk to wild salmon populations. The GMO salmon consume five times more food than wild salmon, and are more aggressive. Introducing these traits into the wild population would be serious — and irreversible.3
Separate from any risks, the GMO salmon are less healthy to eat — producing less of the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids than conventional salmon — and a less efficient food source — requiring 1.5 to 8 kilograms of wild fish to produce one kilogram of conventional farmed salmon.
Worse still, without GMO labeling, these frankenfish would be totally unlabeled on store shelves, and indistinguishable from other farmed salmon, so consumers will have no way of making an informed choice.
The White House knows that the public is opposed to GMO salmon and is feeling our pressure.A recent report even documents that the White House may have delayed the release of the FDA assessment, which was completed in May, until after the election, to avoid upsetting the president's political base.4
Significant public opposition in this comment period is our best shot at preventing approval of GMO salmon. But this is our last chance. So now is the time to make your voice heard. Submit a comment now:
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/gmo_salmon/?rc=linkcopy-n1&r_by=-3333774-8XMrrix1. "Consumers Union Says FDA Assessment of GE Salmon Is Flawed and Inadequate," Consumers Union, 12/21/122. "AquAdvantage Salmon Ready for Commerce?," Permaculture News, 9/23/103. "Tell the FDA: No Frankenfish," Organic Consumers Union
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