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The Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve genetically engineered salmon, but lawmakers in California and Alaska are not waiting around for the FDA's ruling on the so-called "Frankenfish." Representatives in both states recently introduced bills to keep the GE salmon in check.
As we previously reported, the AquaAdvantage salmon developed by AquaBounty Technologies is essentially an Atlantic salmon modified with genes from a Chinook salmon and an ocean pout, which makes for a faster-growing fish that requires 10 percent less feed. Regardless of a wary public, a protest letter by 11 Pacific Northwestern senators, and strong warnings by an overwhelming amount of government scientists and public interest groups, the FDA looks to be moving closer to approving the salmon.
Last month, California State Assemblyman Jared Huffman introduced a bill requiring any of the salmon sold in the state to be clearly labeled for the public, and this week Alaska senators reintroduced their bills, one to ban the GE animal from being cultivated in Alaskan waters and one to require that it be labeled.
The Alaskan bipartisan bills come from senators Mark Begich (D-AK) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Says Begich: "Frankenfish threatens our wild stocks, their habitat, our food safety and would bring economic harm to Alaska's wild salmon fishermen," reports Food Safety News. The fish are "risky, unprecedented and unnecessary," he adds.
Just like any other GMO, this salmon is a patented product. Once fishermen own the product -- or their waters are unintentionally contaminated with the product -- they'll have to continue purchasing it to continue using it. Just as GM corn seeds can't be saved, these salmon won't breed on their own. And as opponents have warned, there's no telling if they're safe for human consumption, as the FDA has not conducted adequate testing.
States hold the power to enact their own laws regarding the salmon's approval in their states, so we may soon see similar action from Oregon and Washington.
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2-03-2011 @4:22PM Tony said... Thanks to congress and Obama signing in to law the senate bill S510 nows gives our goverment full control over our food supply. This is just the start of problem food. Under this bill Washington can control what food our farmers can grow. Our worthless goverment can keep people from buying seed to grow there own vegs in there garden and make it against the law to do so. We already see the FDA looks to be moving closer to approving the salmon even when they do not know this salmon is safe to eat Bin Laden where are you when America needs you??
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2-03-2011 @8:53PM Vosovic said... Geneticall modified plums and peaches became nectarines, tangerines and oranges = tangelos, and grafting English Walnut trees to black walnut trunks gave us good tasting walnuts with longlasting trunks -- mixing two fish gives you what kind of danger?? Sounds like just more hippie scare tactics against progress -- of course this is on pending on -- do we trust the FDA -- do they really know what theyre doing or are they all the 'C' students that got passed over by the drug companies
2-03-2011 @5:41PM james russell said... I'll be you that it is already on the market and no one knows. The real reason this is getting notice is the fact that there has to be a way to feed the world with cheaper food and this GMO Salmon is going to get approved.
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2-03-2011 @5:43PM ajschrod said... A little common sense goes a long way--of COURSE every effort and jurisdiction should work toward eliminating those freaks, but when they're caught, why not EAT THEM!?
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2-03-2011 @8:31PM bob rinaldi said... extreme mindblowing ignorance
anyone who actually believes in the conncept of "frankenfish" should be prevented from having children...permanently
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2-03-2011 @9:43PM Ross said... Remember this: "The Alarmists are usually right!!" I call GMO Genetically Mutated Organisms. It truly is FrankenFoods. You can't improve on Nature, so stop trying. All for the sake of money. Idiots.
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2-03-2011 @10:17PM Walt said... MORE FOOD FOR THE WORLD????? How about coming up with something healthy for a change! GM or not, all farm raised fish are fed grain pellets, therefore they don't have much fish oil (omega3). All animals fed grain have the natural omega3 (heart healthy) converted into omega6 (heart attack), within 30 days. Birds are the exception, as they evolved eating grains. 100% grassfed beef has as much fish oil, omega3, serving per serving , as any cold water fish. Corn fed beef is all omega 6. That's why the medical community said to eat less red (corn fed) beef. It's heart attack food and farm raised fish is the same.
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2-03-2011 @11:12PM Youneedtoreadthis said... The Real problem is that a high member of the FDA is related to the owner of Monsanto, the chemical company behind ALL of the GE/GMO seeds and food. It's illegal, unethical and just plain wrong, but she's in! What you've got in GE food is tons of Pesticides. The chemicals are in the seeds and when you eat the product, you eat the chemicals. It's a company that puts up a fake front, one that seems like they just want to "save the world" and "stop hunger" but if you really look into them, what they want is to own ALL of the patents on the Pesticide ridden seeds. They spread into fields of non poisoned crops and they become GE also, nothing the farmers can do, the wind blows the pollen all around. When that does happen, the Monsanto company and there many other names they go by, tries to collect on the farmers for "using" their patented seeds! The worst news of all is this: Once the seeds spread, there is NO Going Back! You can't change GE seeds and plants into not being GE. Once grown, never again will there be any way to grow normal, unpoisoned crops. So, we have NO choice at all and I'm sure this includes the Frankenfish. It spreads, you eat it. Protest now, while you still can. Do you want to eat Roundup? The same Roundup poison that was Banned because of the side effects on humans and animals. Now they are going to feed it to you in GE foods. They also don't want to mark the food packages to tell people they are eating a GE food! That would mean that you might think it's organic and pesticide free but it could be a GE food and be full of Roundup and other pesticides. It's Bad News, please read more about it and write you congress representive, the president and anyone else you can think of. For safe foods in the future, we HAVE to stop this NOW!
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2-04-2011 @3:18AM Miss Lyn said... You are so right!. People need to know that genetically modified fdood is not good for humans. And to think how long the FDA, USDA has been poisining the people in the world. They [Monsanto] said it's to feed the world. Yeah right. They want to kill off people and rule the world food supply. Can you imagine just one comp[nay controlling the world food supply? There's also a conflict of interest with this company and government. Justice Clarence Thomas used to work for Monsato, FDA, EPA and USDA has former Monsanto people. Media doesn't want to talk about GM/GE foods because they're afraid of Monsanto's many lawyers. Monsanto is taking over all the small farmers and threatening them with lawsuite. The TRUTH needs to get out before we're all doomed by eating this kind of food.
2-04-2011 @12:54AM Dave said... I wonder if their related to Frankenfurter.....from Rocky Horror.
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2-04-2011 @2:24AM Elizabeth said... Voscovic, . . . tangelos are a result of tangerines and pomelos crosses (grapefruit not oranges). FYI
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2-04-2011 @6:26AM JFMJ said... The difference between grafting trees and genetic modification is that the grafting relys on nature working to create new plant variety versus science forcing genes at a barely known molecular level to fit together. In nature if it doesn't work, it dies and we don't eat it. With science, it is tinkered with until it survives without knowing the consequences of it's survival either to the consumer of the food or to the world as a whole. People have been manupilating germination in plants and blood-lines in animals for hundreds of years with the safety check of natural selection. Direct gene work bypasses the safety check of nature.
I am not strictly against GMO, but I am very leary of it. There needs to be more study, espically LONG TERM study of its effects on the consumer's health.