By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

OTTAWA, Ontario — Imagine having a salmon that grows six times as fast and twice as large as normal Atlantic salmon, one which consumes three-quarters as much feed.

That’s the goal of those at AquaBounty Farms, a research facility located in Fortune, Prince Edward Island, Canada. This experimental hatchery has been injecting growth hormone genes into fertilized salmonid eggs to produce fast growing, genetically-engineered (GE) salmon, trout and Arctic char.

AquaBounty is seeking the OK not only from the Canadian government, but from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And while this all sounds like a great idea for a boost in food production, there is strong opposition on both sides of the border.
“Genetically-engineered fish and animals are not acceptable as part of our food system,” said Lucy Sharratt, coordinator at Canadian Biotechnology Action Network. “They have no place in a healthy and sustainable food system. If our Canadian government is to review applications for safety for the GE fish we see it as a waste of taxpayer money. The GE experiment is out of control and the public has very little power in the situation. Furthermore, we simply do not trust our government to control this product.”

AquaBounty recently revealed plans to produce GE eggs exclusively on Prince Edward Island, then ship the eggs to Panama for growing out and processing to then sell into the U.S. market.

On Sept. 19 and 20 the FDA held public hearings on the matter and an advisory committee told the FDA that the fish appears to be safe. The FDA is requiring more testing before it is served on the nation’s dinner tables.

If the FDA approves the sale of the salmon, it will be the first time the government allows such modified animals to be marketed for human consumption. The panel was convened by the agency to look at the science of the fish and make recommendations on its safety and environmental impact.

GE animals are not clones, which the FDA has already said are safe to eat. Clones are copies of an animal. In GE animals, the DNA has been altered to produce a desirable characteristic.

Critics call the modified salmon a “frankenfish” that could cause allergies in humans and the eventual decimation of the wild salmon population. Representatives from consumer, environmental and food safety groups say the fish is untested and have asked the FDA to decline the company’s application.

As of Sept. 21 the FDA has declared the fish safe, but FDA members also raised concerns about the data, saying many of the sample sizes were too small and wonder how healthy the fish will be after many years of breeding.

During the two-day hearings there was focus on the labeling of the fish. Current FDA regulations require modified foods to be labeled as such only if the food is substantially different from the conventional version, and the agency has said that the modified salmon is essentially the same as the Atlantic salmon. If approved, the fish could be in grocery stores in just two years.

Approval would open the door for a variety of other GE animals, including a pig that is being developed in Canada or cattle that are resistant to Mad Cow disease. Each would have to be individually approved by the FDA.

AquaBounty says it would be the first in the world to market GE fish. The company submitted its first applications for FDA approval in 1995, but the agency did not decide until two years ago to consider applications for GE animals, a move seen as a breakthrough by the biotechnology industry.

The FDA has stated that there were no biologically relevant differences between GE salmon and conventional salmon, and there is a reasonable certainty of no harm from its consumption.

Critics have two main concerns: the safety of the food to humans and the salmon’s effect on the environment. Some believe the GE fish could include dangerous allergens and those GE would escape and intermingle with the wild salmon population, which is already endangered. They feel the GE salmon would grow fast and consume more food to the detriment of the conventional wild salmon.

By contrast, AquaBounty says there are safeguards in place. The fish would be bred female and sterile, though a small percentage might be able to breed. AquaBounty says the fish would be bred in confined pools where the potential for escape would be low.

Genetic engineering is already widely used for crops, but the government until now has not considered allowing the consumption of modified animals.

“For future applications out there the sky’s the limit,” said David Edwards of the Biotechnology Industry Assoc. in Washington D.C. “If you can imagine it, scientists can try to do it.”