Page 9 - The NOISE December 2015

first GMO fish apprOved
by fda
On november 19, the US Food & Drug Administration cleared the first genetically modified (GMO) animal for sale in American consumer markets. “AquaAdvantage salm- on,” often referred to as Frankenfish by GMO opponents, was created by AquaBounty Technologies, a self-proclaimed
“small company” based in Massachusetts. On its website, Aqu- aBounty says its technology will “spur a radically more respon- sible and sustainable way of growing Atlantic salmon.” The company has been seeking FDA approval for nearly 20 years.
Just hours after the announcement, consumer advocacy group, the Center for Food Safety said it and other GMO opposing organizations would file a lawsuit to challenge the FDA’s decision.
“Today, the Food & Drug Administration approved the first genetically engineered food animal — AquaBounty’s geneti- cally engineered salmon — despite insufficient safety testing and widespread opposition,” said Food & Water Watch ex- ecutive Director Wenonah Hauter. This unfortunate, historic decision disregards the vast majority of consumers, many independent scientists, numerous members of Congress and salmon growers around the world, who have voiced strong opposition.”
AquaAdvantage salmon is a genetic combination of sev- eral species of fish. The original Atlantic salmon was injected with growth hormone from Chinook salmon, a Pacific spe- cies. Genetic material from an ocean pout was then added. The combination causes the Frankenfish to produce growth hormone year-round allowing it to grow at around twice the speed of other farm-raised salmon. According to AquaBoun- ty, the GMO salmon will also require 25% less feed than its natural counterpart.
The FDA said the approval process took so long because it was the first of its kind. The FDA says that AquaAdvantage
fish are safe for human consumption and nutritionally equiv- alent to other non-GMO salmon. It also said the genetically engineered fish do not pose a threat to wild fish populations because AquaBounty will grow them in inland farms away from the ocean. In addition, the GMO salmon are sterile so are not able to reproduce. The company has also been ap- proved to grow its product only in two facilities that it oper- ates in Canada and Panama, not in the Us. no live fish will be imported into the Us from those facilities.
Food & water watch cites a number of reasons why it dis- agrees with the FDA’s assessment and approval of AquaAd- vantage salmon. First, it refers to AquaBounty questionable environmental record. “In recent years,” the consumer advo- cate says, “AquaBounty facilities outside the United states have dealt with an accidental disease outbreak, ‘lost’ salmon, and a fine from Panamanian regulators for breaking that country’s environmental laws.” In October 2014, AquaBoun- ty was fined $9500 for violating a myriad of environmental safety and permitting rules and regulations, including having coliform bacteria levels outside acceptable limits. Food & wa- ter watch also cites a “storm related incident” that resulted in
“lost salmon.”
“we do not believe this warrants any further attention by
Canada or the Us, AquaBounty CeO Ron Stotish told trade publication, SeaFoodSource last year. “It doesn’t have any relevance to our products. none of these issues question the containment or environmental safety of our operation. These are permitting issues and we do not think they are relevant.”
Center for Food safety senior attorney George Kimbrell accused the GMO fish producer of “hiding in the highlands of Panama” to avoid closer regulatory scrutiny. “AquaBounty has not been able to follow the law,” he said, “because it lacks the
stOry by cindy cOle phOtO by c.lassiclite
capacity, sophistication, will, or all of the above.”
Food & water watch also criticized the FDA’s “inadequate review process.” The organization questions why the FDA did
only an environmental assessment rather than a more strin-
gent environmental Impact statement on the GMO salmon. “The FDA’s shockingly lenient approval process included re- viewing an AquaBounty study that only examined six salmon. And they showed a 20 to 50% increased allergenic potency,”
the organization said.
In addition, the FDA appears to have ignored a report by
the Canadian Department of Fisheries & Oceans released in 2013 that found GMO salmon are more susceptible to cer- tain disease-causing bacteria than their non-GMO counter- parts. It also found the growth rates in AquaBounty’s facilities were much lower than the company’s claims. These potential risks to both environment and human health were apparently overlooked.
even with the FDA’s approval, consumers will not likely be seeing GMO salmon in local markets any time soon. It still takes about two years for the farmed Frankenfish to reach full size. In addition, according to a New York Times article, Aqu- aBounty’s Panama growth facility is expected to produce only about 100 tons of fish per year. The Us imports more than 200,000 tons of Atlantic salmon every year. Mr. stotish also told the Times that he wasn’t certain if additional approval would be needed to export the fish from Panama.
no matter though. Because Us law currently doesn’t re- quire GMOs to be labeled, consumers may not have access to information as to whether the salmon their grocer is carrying is genetically engineered or not.
| Cindy Cole has her fishing pole at the ready.
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thenoise.us • the NOISE arts & news • december 2015 • 9