GM Salmon Headed to Rivers and
Stores Near You
July 28, 2015
Story at-a-glance
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The FDA is considering approval of genetically modified (GM)
salmon, which grows faster than conventional salmon
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No other country has approved a GM animal intended to enter
the food supply
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Environmental and food-safety groups have raised alarms that
the GM salmon could devastate the environment and pose
unknown health risks
By Dr. Mercola
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been
considering the approval of AquAdvantage genetically modified
(GM) salmon since 1993. After reviewing the research, which
reportedly came from the salmons' creator AquaBounty, the FDA
concluded in 2012 that the fish was likely safe for human
consumption and would not put the environment at risk.1
Three years and a public commentary later, the FDA has yet to
make a final approval, and environmentalists and food-safety
advocates alike have expressed serious concerns about unleashing
GM food animals into the US – a decision no other country in the
world has approved.
The GM salmon are engineered to grow about twice as fast as
typical farm-raised salmon. This is achieved by inserting the
DNA from two other fish, a growth-promoting gene from a Chinook
salmon and a “promoter” gene from the eel-like ocean pout, which
essentially keeps the growth hormone flowing 24/7, leading to
eerily fast growth.
While a typical salmon might take up to 36 months to reach
market size (and grow only in spurts during warm weather),
AquaAdvantage GM salmon is ready for market in just 16 to 18
months.2
Since it grows so fast, it requires less food (by about 25
percent) over the course of its lifetime – and half of its feed
is replaced with plants instead of fish, making them about 0.25
cents a pound cheaper to produce than conventional salmon.3
All of these "benefits" may come at a steep price, however,
should one of these GM salmon escape into the wild…
What Would Happen if GM Salmon Make It into the Wild?
AquaBounty's GM salmon would be grown in tanks on land with
additional filters, screens, and netting used to block any
drains or pipes that could provide an outlet into nearby
waterways.
And female eggs will be sterilized prior to leaving the
facility, using a process that has a 99.8 percent sterilization
rate (which means 0.2 percent are still fertile).4
Nonetheless, AquaBounty therefore claims any escape into the
wild is "virtually impossible."5
But if history is any indicator of future of events, the GM
salmon will one day find a way into the natural environment.
We're already seeing the unintended consequences of GM crops
popping up where they're not supposed to.
And "super weeds" and increasingly resistant pests are rapidly
spreading and wreaking havoc across American farmland, while the
human health concerns keep mounting.
When scientists take genetic modification even further,
tinkering with genes in insects and animals, the consequences
may be even steeper.
When a Purdue University computer model tracked the effects of
releasing just 60 "Frankenfish" (GM
salmon) into a population of 60,000, there was a complete
extinction of the normal fish in just 40 fish generations…
George Leonard, writing for the National Geographic,
also addressed the issue of escape potential with the following
statement:6
"While this initial application to grow GE salmon is
for land-based facilities, the prospect of even larger
profits from growing GE salmon in the ocean will certainly
create pressure for approval in these more environmentally
risky [ocean pen] systems in the future.
The U.S. is poorly equipped to deal with this future
scenario. In June 2011, NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane
Lubchenco released a National Aquaculture Policy to guide
how marine aquaculture proceeds in our ocean waters. While
the policy includes some strong environmental provisions, it
does not categorically prohibit the growing of GE fish in
the ocean. It should…
Congress should work to pass Senator Mark Begich's
PEGASUS [Prevention of Escapement of Genetically Altered
Salmon in the United States] Act or similar legislation that
requires FDA to take the environmental risks seriously
before approving GE fish. If Congress doesn't act soon, the
nation's ocean may suffer from FDA's efforts to chart a
course for GE salmon."
GM Salmon Might Flourish in the Wild…
A new review published in the journal BioScience
also reviewed 80 studies to determine what might happen if GM
salmon were allowed to intermingle with nature.7
For starters, behavioral changes were noted, such as the fact
that GM salmon eat more, linger near the water's surface, and
tend to be loners. They have reduced immune function and, of
course, they grow much faster than their wild counterparts.
The researchers were unable to determine whether the GM
salmon would overtake wild salmon, but stressed not to discount
the possibility too quickly. In the case of AquaBounty, one of
their facilities, on Prince Edward Island, is located next to an
estuary, while the Panama facility is near a river.
Some experts have stressed escapes to be an "unavoidable
consequence" of fish farming.8
Study author Fredrik Sundström, an ecologist at Uppsala
University in Sweden, told NPR:9
"Invasive species also didn't evolve in the
environment where they are now invading, and they still are
able to survive and flourish. We could argue along the same
lines with the [genetically modified] fish."
AquaBounty Fined by Panama Government for Regulatory Failures
One of AquaBounty's biotech facilities is located in Panama,
where regulators have fined the company for repeated regulatory
and permit violations. A 2012 investigation into the facility
revealed a failure to secure necessary permits, particularly
regarding water usage and pollution, and the violations
persisted into 2013.
Panamanian authorities noted that the violations were
significant enough to levy "almost the maximum fine allowable
against the company."10
Not to mention, the violations raise even more concerns
regarding the approval of GM salmon. George Kimbrell, a senior
attorney with the Center for Food Safety, noted:11
"This decision is also even further proof that FDA is
dangerously out of touch with the facts on the ground,
advancing AquaBounty's application based on its promises,
not reality."
Dana Perls, a food and technology campaigner at Friends of
the Earth added:12
"The FDA is going forward with its review based on
the premise that this facility will be in compliance with
regulations, yet now we're seeing it's not… It is
increasingly clear that there is inadequate regulation: the
FDA is trying to shoehorn this new genetically engineered
animal into a completely ill-fitting regulatory process."
While the company has permission to test and develop the GM
salmon, they are not able to sell it. As a result, about 62 tons
of the GM fish have already been dumped in Panamanian landfills…13
There was also a report of at least one other biosecurity lapse,
in which mechanical failures related to a storm resulted in
"lost" salmon.14
Costco Remains Silent on Issue of Selling GM Salmon
The FDA's decision on AquAdvantage salmon will set the tone
for the additional GM species currently in the pipelines. If the
GM salmon is approved, it will pave the way for the about 35
other GM species under development right now, and one day make
GM cows, chicken, and pigs commonplace in supermarkets… at
least in those willing to sell them.
It's no secret that the US public is not wild about the idea
of eating GM animals (although is already inundated with GM corn
and soy).
About three-quarters of Americans have stated they would not eat
GM fish, although to date there are no federal labeling
requirements for any GM food (so you'd have no way of
knowing if your fish was GM or not).15
To date, about 65 US supermarkets, including Target, Whole
Foods, Trader Joe's, Safeway, and Kroger, have pledged not to
sell the fish even if it's approved (once approved, the fish
would take about two years to reach the market).16
Costco, however, which is one of the largest retailers of salmon
in the US, is not among them.
A campaign lead by Friends of the Earth and allies has since
succeeded in collecting 300,000 signatures asking the food giant
not to sell GM salmon. The groups hand delivered the signatures
to Costco's headquarters in June 2015. Danielle Friedman,
organizing director of the Community Alliance for Global
Justice, said:17
"By delivering these signatures directly to Costco's
front door, it is our hope that they will no longer be able
to ignore the risks posed by genetically modified salmon and
make the pledge."
Environmental Groups Call on FDA to End GM Salmon Review, Citing
New Risks
Friends of the Earth, Food & Water Watch, and other
environmental groups called on the FDA to end its ongoing review
of GM salmon earlier this year. The notion was prompted by a
400-page draft risk assessment from the Canadian Department of
Fisheries and Oceans, which revealed a number of concerning
findings regarding GM salmon:18
- GM salmon are more susceptible to the disease-causing
bacteria Aeromonas salmonicida, which suggests
unique animal health problems and environmental concerns
- Have demonstrated diminished growth rates in
AquaBounty's commercial facilities, casting doubts over any
potential "benefits"
- Have displayed questionable performance, including
inconsistent growth rates, which suggests "the
growth-hormone gene construct inserted in the fish is not
operating in a predictable manner, raising questions about
the durability, safety, and commercial viability of GM
salmon"19
Dana Perls added:20
"Major grocery chains, consumers, and salmon
producers are all rejecting genetically engineered salmon…
This new assessment adds to the body of science showing that
this genetically engineered fish doesn't offer any benefit
to aquaculture, has unique health problems and presents
environmental risks. Why is the FDA continuing to spend
scarce tax-payer dollars reviewing this fish that offers all
risk and no reward?"
Take Action Against Transgenic Food Fraud
It's important to recognize that not labeling transgenic food
is fraud. As an example, salmon spliced with an eel-like
creature is no longer the salmon you would expect when seeing
"salmon" written on a label. Not disclosing this fact is fraud
because it is counter to a consumer's expectation. The burden
should not be placed on the traditional salmon fishermen to get
their nature-provided fish certified as GMO-free; the
burden of truthful declaration of what the product actually is
should be placed on the patent holder and producer of these
transgenic organisms.
The same logic should apply to crops. Research has shown that
there are significant compositional differences between
GM soybeans and non-GM varieties, for example.21
Contrary to industry claims, the study found that they also
differ in terms of nutritional quality, with organic soybeans
having the healthiest nutritional profile. According to the
authors, "This study rejects that genetically modified soy
is "substantially equivalent" to non-GM soybeans."
For close to 20 years the American public has been exposed to
these largely experimental, untested foods. The FDA claims GMOs
can be presumed safe, and that there was an "overwhelming
scientific consensus" backing up their decision to categorize
GMOs as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) back in 1992. Yet
the evidence shows that is a bold-faced lie. Steven Druker
reveals this and much more in his book
Altered Genes, Twisted Truth: How the Venture to Genetically
Engineer Our Food Has Subverted Science, Corrupted Government,
and Systematically Deceived the Public.
Scientists have also taken a firm and public stand against
this oft-repeated lie. On January 24, a statement signed by 300
scientists, researchers, physicians and scholars was published
in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Sciences Europe,
unequivocally asserting that there isnoscientific consensus
on the safety of GMOs.22
If you want to get involved, The Center for Food Safety has
created a
petition asking the FDA not to approve GM salmon and, if the
FDA insists on approving these genetically modified fish, to
require the fish to be labeled. I urge you to
sign it. Food & Water Watch has also created a
petition asking members of congress to stop the approval of GM
salmon.
© Copyright 1997-2015 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
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