|
| Genetically
Engineered fish threaten world's oceans - Greenpeace calls
for GE-free seas |
 |
TAKE
ACTION:
Say
No To Frankenfish!
Add your voice to the call
for GE-Free Seas
March 27, Ottawa - Greenpeace activists today
sealed off a research facility containing genetically engineered
(GE) salmon, owned by A/F Protein, in Prince Edward Island,
Canada. The international environmental organisation demanded
a global rejection of the world's first application to commercially
produce GE fish, and a global ban on all releases of genetically
engineered organisms into the oceans.
GE fish
have the potential to cause irreversible damage to wild fish
stocks and to the wider marine environment. Leading marine
biologists have expressed grave reservations and warned that
even a small number of GE fishes released into the wild can
have potentially devastating effects. Researchers at Purdue
University in Indiana, the United States, estimate that 60
fertile GE fish introduced into a natural population of 60,000
could annihilate the natural stock in 20-30 years.
Animation
showing the dangers of GE fish (requires Flash plugin)
"Deformed
heads, greedy, GE fish are a danger to the environment and
potentially to human health. They are an iconic example of
the genetic engineering experiment that is being conducted
with our environment and food supply. As fish do not obey
national boundaries, any release of GE fish into the wild
will be an issue of international concern and in breach of
international law," said Lindsay Keenan, Genetic Engineering
Campaigner for Greenpeace.
A/F Protein's
application to commercialise GE salmon for the aquaculture
industry worldwide is currently being considered by the United
States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under their
regulation on 'animal drugs', and a ruling is expected anytime
this year. The permit would set a precedent for approvals
of other types of GE fish that are already being developed,
including trout, catfish, lobster, carp and striped bass.
The company A/F Protein claims that it already has
orders for 15 million GE fish eggs for delivery as soon as
the FDA gives the go-ahead.
Escapes
from fish farms are frequent and virtually impossible to prevent.
In the past ten years over half a million fish escaped from
just a handful of facilities in the US and Canada (2). To
date, there are no published studies on the health risks of
engineered fish, nor are there specific regulations governing
the release of GE fish into the wild.
A/F Protein
has manipulated the GE Atlantic Salmon with an additional
gene for growth hormone production and an anti-freeze gene
promoter sequence. As a result, instead of only growing during
the summer months, the GE salmon grows all year around developing
two to three times faster than a normal salmon.
Greenpeace
delivered its warning about the GE fish to fishing and aquaculture
industry representatives at the International Boston Seafood
Show urging them to support the appeal for seas free from
genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
"It
is outrageous that the United States is about to advocate
global contamination with highly hazardous transgenic fish
based only on an assessment of their Food and Drug Administration
and even under a completely inadequate regulation on 'animal
drugs'. As the oceans, the planet's largest ecosystem knows
no boundaries, the international community needs to immediately
stop this reckless action. We call upon the citizens, governments
and industry of the world to support our
appeal for GMO free seas," Keenan added.
TAKE
ACTION:
Say
No To Frankenfish!
Add your voice to the call
for GE-Free Seas
More
information:
Animation
showing the dangers of GE fish (requires Flash plugin)
GE fish question and answers
GE
fish varieties under development
AFP Company Factsheet - info on
one of the companies behind GE fish.
GE fish - potentially devastating environmental
hazard
GE
fish - swimming against the tide of reason (pdf document)
Jean-Michel
Cousteau's statement on GE fish
Scientists
statement on the dangers of GE fish (pdf document)
BC
salmon farmers reinforce stance against trangenics - press
release from the BC Salmon Farmers Association
French (Français)
version
top/back
| 
