Opinion: US Senate Votes on Genetically Engineered Salmon, Ecosystems may Pay the Price
OutdoorHub 05.24.12
Washington, DC—In spite of substantial concerns raised by fishermen and the public, the US Senate didn’t to approve an amendment that would have required additional scrutiny of genetically engineered salmon by NOAA, the nation’s ocean science agency, before being approved for sale in the United States. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) moved a floor amendment that, if enacted, would require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to conduct an environmental review assessing the potential ecological and socioeconomic impacts of genetically engineered fish. Although the amendment did not garner the required 60 votes, it highlighted unaddressed concerns over a product that some have dubbed “Frankenfish”.
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Matt Tinning, Executive Director of the Marine Fish Conservation Network issued the following statement:
“Today, forty six Senators stood with our nation’s fishermen and seafood lovers and opposed the precipitous approval of Frankenfish.
“We applaud Senator Murkowski for calling attention to the fact that an application for sale of AquaAdvantage, a genetically engineered salmon, is being considered by the Food and Drug Administration under procedures established for the review of animal drugs. The FDA has no expertise in safeguarding the health of marine ecosystems or the wellbeing of fishing communities. This amendment would have ensured that NOAA, our nation’s ocean science and fisheries management agency, be required to consider those potential impacts.
“To give a green light to GE salmon without considering the ecological or socioeconomic impacts that it could have on fisheries and fishing communities recklessly puts the health of our ocean and the wellbeing of our nation’s fishermen at undue risk.”
A company called Aquabounty is pushing approval of genetically engineered fish for sale to US consumers for the first time. Designed to grow twice as fast as natural salmon, the company wants to hatch and grow the salmon in Panama and Canada, before selling them in the United States. Currently the FDA is the sole federal agency with responsibility for reviewing AquaBounty’s application.
