GE Trees, Fish, and Functional Foods
While OEFFA has taken a stand against Genetically Engineered Foods,
this article does not necessarily reflect the views of OEFFA.
For background
information on GE Foods and OEFFA's work, contact the OEFFA
office.
Frankenfish: How to Make the Global Fish and Marine
Life Crisis Even Worse
Industrial-style commercial fishing and environmental
pollution are slowly but surely killing off all of the fish and other
marine life in our oceans and surface waters. Rather than make the
transnational fish corporations change their practices (almost a third
of all fish caught by factory fishing boats are killed and then tossed
overboard for example), and stop factory farms and industry from polluting
our waterways, the Gene Engineers and factory-style fish farms have
a "better idea"--genetically
engineered Frankenfish. Building upon the bottom line unsustainable practices
of industrial fish and shrimp farms (feeding antibiotics and rendered
animal protein to fish, allowing caged fish to escape and kill off native
wild species,polluting delicate wetlands and fish breeding areas, using
up more fish protein to feed captive fish than is produced by the full-grown
fish, etc.),the proponents of GE fish tell us they'll help feed the world
by producing faster-growing, disease-resistant mutants in gigantic tanks
and fish nets.
Like GE trees, Frankenfish are being highly touted and promoted.
For consumers, restaurants, and fish farmers the idea of a GE Atlantic
salmon which grows twice as fast or six times faster than a normal salmon
might sound like a good idea. But this GE blue revolution in aqua culture,
which Canadian and US officials may possibly approve for commercialization
as soon as next year, has its downside. Consider these hazards:
* GE fish will inevitably escape from confinement, just as millions
offish from commercial fish farms already do every year. Once out of
confinement fast-growing GE fish eat more and will consume food needed
by native species. GE fish will carry viruses or other diseases that
can ravage native populations.
* As the New York Times (May 1, 2000) reports,
recent studies ( A Purdue University Study published in the Nov. 1999
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science) show that native fish
will more readily breed with giant Frankenfish than they will with
their own native breed. Over the short run this means that Frankenfish
will breed and multiply while native species will die out. Of course
over time these mutant breeds will likely be unable to adapt to changing
environmental conditions and then they too will die out. "In addition," the Times points out, "there
is the possibility of unpredictable environmental disruptions, like those
that occur when nonnative species invade ecosystems, as the zebra mussels
have the Hudson River." GE fish companies argue that their new Frankenfish
will be sterile, so you don't have to worry about them interbreeding
with relatives. But even the proponents of GE fish admit there's no way
that companies can guarantee 100% sterility in their Frankenfish, not
to mention the frightening possibility that these sterility traits could
be inadvertently transferred to native species.
* Scientists warn that increased levels of growth hormones in GE fish
could be hazardous to humans. Certainly fish whose altered genetic structure
makes them constantly pump out unnatural levels of growth hormones will
be genetically weakened and more susceptible to disease. To protect and
maximize their investments in these fast-growing but sickly mutants,
fish farmers will need to feed these fish more antibiotics and rendered
animal protein in their feed. This in turn will mean more antibiotic
residues in fish that consumers eat, as well as more antibiotics in our
surface waters and waste systems. Some scientists warn that since fish,
like mammals,produce prion proteins, feeding hormone-supercharged GE
fish additional rendered animal protein could conceivably cause fish
to produced malformed prion proteins--thereby causing a Mad Cow-like
disease to emerge in fish.
* Green salmon. Genetically engineering fish is inherently unpredictable.
GE fish have been born with grotesquely deformed heads and gill flaps,with
descendants of some GE fish showing deformities, even if the parent fish
had appeared to be normal. One batch of young GE salmon were pale green
instead of the normal brown color of young salmon and rather than turning
pink as they matured remained green.
The Second Wave of genetically modified organisms--so-called functional
foods, GE trees, and GE fish--promise to be just as bad as the First
Wave of ag biotech Frankenfoods and crops that consumers and campaigners
worldwide are trying to drive off the market now. So as we step up the
attack on the First Wave of GE foods and crops we must simultaneously
begin to launch a preemptive strike against the Second Wave which is
rapidly bearing down on us. Stay tuned to our website www.purefood.org and BioDemocracy News for the latest developments.
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