This isn't an issue that has just come up. Proper and transparent labeling of genetically modified/engineered salmon has been an issue since 2015. Yet the unknown potential effects that ingestion of these salmon might have remains and are terrifying. How do our governmental agencies get away with playing rope-a-dope with issues that affect the health and sustainability of natural species, let alone human health? Or why do they generate "legislative guidelines" that provide producers of genetically engineered fish loopholes to honest and fair disclosure?
"This case is about the future of food: FDA should not, and cannot, responsibly regulate this GE animal, nor any future GE animals, by treating them as drugs under a 1938 law," George Kimbrell, senior attorney for the Center for Food Safety, 4/30/18. "In its current form, categorical exemptions prevent this law from delivering the meaningful protections Americans deserve. Highly processed ingredients, many products of new genetic engineering techniques such as CRISPR and TALEN, and many meat and dairy products will not require disclosure,” Non-GMO Project Executive Director Megan Westgate. 12/21/18 Take a look at the link below from the Center for Food Safety https://centerforfoodsafety.org/blog/5315/salmon-people-the-risks-of-genetically-engineered-fish-for-the-pacific-northwest-premieres
0 Comments
Probably the best place to start discussing genetic modification in the salmon farming world is in Maynard, Massachusetts at a company called AquaBounty, who by their own admission (thank you for your candor) genetically modifies salmon eggs (i) to grow faster than normal (ii) to create an all female species (I hesitate to call it salmon) and (iii) so that all fish will be sterile. As stated on the AquaBounty website, they explain how this is accomplished through (and I paraphrase); "a novel application of molecular genetics that integrates a Chinook growth hormone gene into the genome of an Atlantic salmon. By so doing it has been discovered that the time to market could be reduced from three years to 18 months." I'm having a really hard time equating this whole concept to "natural" or "healthy" or in wo(man)'s best interest. The only interest they seem to be serving is that of their executives and their stockholders (NASDAQ CM) symbol AQB. Another issue yet to be brought before the public is the lack of a requirement to disclose that what the consumer is buying and/or eating really isn't salmon and sure isn't wild...other than in concept.
Salmon, especially wild kings, was among my most favorite source of protein. I don't eat it any more in any form...cooked, smoked, canned, etc.. The consensus used to be that because of its omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D, it was about as perfect a protein source as could be found. Now, even the wild king population has to be looked at with a certain degree of skepticism and suspicion. Why?
Welcome to the real questions I have not only about the safety of eating salmon but also the future of the species; (i) genetic modification/pollution, (ii) wild fish stock pound-to-pound ratio, (iii) antibiotics, (iv) parasites, (v) salmon leukemia virus, (vi) vaccines and (vii) pesticides (really ugly ones). Adding to the discussion of each of these will come a roll-out of the companies, their executives and governmental bureaucrats who have turned a blind eye towards these problems or flat out lied about their impact not only on the salmon species. Let’s put on the table that the oceans are responsible for one out of every five breaths we take…supply almost 70% of the oxygen in our atmosphere…absorb over 93% of global warming and regulate our climate.
The scale of the oceans’ problems is beyond our comprehension…the situation is dire and blind to who you are, where you come from, how much money you have, the language you speak or the spirit you pray to. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, an Adjunct Professor at New York University puts it well, “It’s not about fish. It’s about people.” Human behavior driven by greed, placing personal convenience/desire above the global good…driving political and corporate priorities is the real and undeniable cause. We're about to embark on a voyage around the world, putting faces on the problems and the solutions. Hang on! OK, bear with me here. Wouldn't it be great if we were all in agreement that the high level primary symptoms affecting ocean health are sea temperature rise, sea level rise, plastics, toxic substance release, and compromised biology? And stretching our imaginations a little further, maybe we could even agree on the cause(s)? In our dreams!
Even those of you who are on board with the symptoms are probably going to defer (after some careful thought I'm sure) to what seems to be the default response; "It's got to be global warming driven by the use of fossil fuels." Not so sure I'm on board there. Give some consideration to what is really behind the cause. What drives the decision to drive a car instead of riding a bike or to purchase groceries wrapped in various iterations of the 700 plus polymers of plastics or to give no thought to the amount of waste created and what is done with it? The answer, "You!" I guess in the interest of my personal health I'll change that to "Us!" No question some of us more or less than others. But the fact remains that we all have a responsibility to impress on our fellow (wo)man that we've got to change our ways and start making life style changes. |
Archives
February 2020
Categories |
Proudly powered by Weebly