June 4, 2014 — If genetically modified salmon is approved by the federal government, it may be labeled as such. The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee last week passed the bipartisan Murkowski-Begich amendment requiring that consumers be advised of what they are buying.
During testimony, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) questioned if the so-called "Frankenfish" can even be called a real salmon.
"This takes a transgenic Atlantic salmon egg, which has genes from an ocean pout that is somewhat akin to an eel, and it combines with the genes of a Chinook salmon. I have questioned time and time again, why we would want to be messing with Mother Nature like this," Murkowski said. "We are trying to invent a species that would grow quicker to out-compete our wild stocks. This experiment puts at risk the health of our fisheries not only in Alaska, but throughout the Pacific Northwest."
"We're not talking about GM corn or something else that is grown. We are talking about a species that moves, migrates, and breeds," the senator stressed. "This is an experiment that if it went wrong could be devastating to the wild, healthy stocks that our farmers of the sea depend upon."
The AquaAdvantage "Frankenfish," created by a company called AquaBounty based in the U.S. and Panama, has been vying for Food & Drug Administration approval for two decades. The company has spent nearly $80 million on what would be the first genetically engineered animal to be approved for human consumption. Because the gene tweaking is considered a "veterinary procedure," the fish will not be required to use any labeling identifying it as a man-made product.
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