Health & Fitness
GM Salmon Headed to Rivers & Stores Near You
The United States might be the first country in the world to approve "Frankenfish" A.K.A Genetically Modified Salmon.
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.
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.
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While a typical salmon might take up to 36 months to reach market size, AquaAdvantage GM salmon is ready for market in just 16 to 18 months.
What Would Happen if GM Salmon Make It into the Wild?
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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.
The female eggs will be sterilized prior to leaving the facility, using a process that has a 99.8% sterilization rate, which means 1 in 500 are still fertile.
AquaBounty therefore claims any escape into the wild is “virtually impossible.” 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.
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.
About 75% 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.
If You Want To Take Action:
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.