Experimenting on Americans: Genetically modified salmon

The U.S. is poised to release genetically modified salmon – the first commercial genetically modified food animal – into the world: onto our tables and into our environment. I can't help but think that, like the other unlabeled genetically modified food that has infiltrated our diets, this amounts to a massive, uncontrolled experiment on U.S. citizens.

Here are some details:

A little over a week ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft Environmental Assessment  of AquaBounty’s genetically engineered salmon, dubbed AquAdvantage; they are calling for public comment through February 25, 2013.  (So, if you find this as concerning as I do, please use this opportunity to speak up). The FDA's preliminary finding is that an approval of AquaBounty's application would not have a significant impact on the U.S. environment. Oh, and as with other U.S. GMOs, AquAdvantage won't be labeled as a GMO.  Any salmon that one eats could be an AquAdvantage salmon.

AquAdvantage are genetically engineered to grow twice as fast as non-genetically engineered salmon. I have been trying to get more details about the AquAdvantage salmon, but they are hard to come by, and even the FDA documents are a bit vague. However, I did come across this, and although I can't confirm what it says, it is consistent with other things I have read:

The environmental consequences of farming genetically engineered fish, including salmon, are not fully understood—but what is known is troubling. We know that farmed fish can escape their enclosures, whether they are in land-based tanks or ocean-based net pens. Escaped genetically engineered salmon are likely to compete with wild fish, including endangered Atlantic salmon, for habitat, food, and mates. Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that the release of just 60 genetically engineered fish into a wild population of 60,000 could lead to the extinction of the wild population in less than 40 generations. There is still considerable debate about whether this "Trojan gene effect" would occur if AquaBounty's genetically engineered salmon escape. But the company's data, and FDA's conclusions based on analysis of that information, indicate that up to 5 percent of the eggs may not be sterile. (From oceanconservancy.org )

So, let's suppose this is right, and let's suppose there is some reasonable chance that the AquAdvantage salmon could be released into the environment and interbreed with wild salmon.

Now let's think about all of the substances that initially appeared safe but were later determined to be harmful: Fen-phen. Asbestos. DDT. BPA in baby bottles and the linings of cans. Triclosan in toothpaste and handwash. Lead in paint and gasoline.

What the FDA is betting (if this goes through) is that AquAdvantage doesn't turn out like any of those. It is betting that it is as safe for human consumption as wild salmon in the long run. It is betting that it never gets released into the wild, or if it does, that it doesn't do any harm in the long run.

That's a helluva bet, because if AquAdvantage does get released into the environment and does turn out to be harmful to humans or to the environment, it's not quite so easy to recall as, say, phen-fen. It's more like DDT, in that it lingers in the environment, except worse, because it reproduces, and in reproducing, modifies the wild salmon. In the worst case, no more wild salmon. It's an experiment that is hard to stop or undo.

My thinking is this: we've been wrong before on safety and we could be wrong again. Like other GMOs, AquAdvantage has not be tested for very long. The U.S. government has no business performing this massive experiment on its unconsenting citizens, yet that is exactly what it is poised to do.  Frankly, I am tired of being experimented on.

Time to speak up.