The Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing the first genetically modified animal to be sold for human consumption, AquAdvantage Atlantic salmon.
Opponents of the new breed decry it as a “Frankenfish,” but while this name conjures up images of fins and gills stitched together in a mad scientist’s lightning-filled laboratory, the reality is less sensational.
The fish, developed by AquaBounty, has a pair of added genes, a growth gene from Chinook salmon and an activator gene from ocean pout. While an unmodified farmed Atlantic salmon grows to market weight in about 30 months, the new breed reaches its full size in 16 to 18 months, according to AquaBounty.
Personally, I’m not afraid of genetically modified salmon. We’ve all been eating genetically modified (GM) crops for years. More than 70 percent of corn and more than 90 percent of soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically modified, and during the past few years “natural” eggs and spinach have been responsible for more health scares than GM crops.
While I don’t share their concerns or believe their apprehension is misguided, I do sympathize with critics of AquAdvantage salmon.
The FDA has a responsibility to protect consumers from dangerous foods and drugs by conducting appropriate tests. But they also have a responsibility to prove their competence to critics through the rigor of their methods, and unfortunately the FDA is not fulfilling this second obligation.
One major criticism of the FDA’s analysis is its reliance on AquaBounty’s data in conducting its own tests.
Obviously, AquaBounty has every incentive to cast its new product in a favorable light, and the FDA should not take it at its word.
Some people are also afraid that they could buy GM salmon without even realizing it, and they’re right. According to the FDA’s current ruling, the new breed would not require a label because its tests show no difference between natural and AquAdvantage salmon. I have no problem buying GM salmon, but AquAdvantage should be labeled to allow consumers to make this choice for themselves.
The FDA is not solely responsible for this situation. Because there is almost no legislation on genetically modified food in the U.S., the new breed of salmon is actually being tested as a veterinary drug. Because drug laws allow creators to protect their secret formulas and manufacturing processes, the research and testing on this fish is being done in perhaps the least transparent way possible.
Obviously, the law needs to be updated to grant the FDA the tools it needs to properly test these new foods, but until that happens, we have to make due with the FDA’s report.
The primary concerns regarding GM salmon are food safety and ecological impact.
The FDA officially announced Monday that, “food from AquAdvantage is as safe to eat as food from other Atlantic salmon.” This comes as no surprise to many food scientists because the only real difference between the two fish is one contains a growth gene from a different salmon. But some critics fear the new genes could trigger allergies, and while this concern deserves further testing, so far there is no evidence to support it.
Critics are also concerned raising AquAdvantage salmon would exacerbate existing problems with salmon farming, as the fast growing salmon could escape into the wild and replace existing threatened Atlantic salmon populations.
Conventionally farmed salmon is already an ecological nightmare. Most salmon are raised in ocean pens and require massive energy inputs. The combination of increased population density and concentrated waste would result in pollution and the development of new pathogens which would infect wild salmon populations. Conditions are so bad that conventionally farmed salmon receive an “avoid” rating from the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch.
Genetically modified salmon could actually help alleviate these problems. The FDA is only allowing AquAdvantage salmon to be raised in land-based tank systems, which would minimize damage to the environment. And AquAdvantage salmon are female triploids (they have three sets of chromosomes instead of two, rendering them sterile). These precautions, combined with the shorter growth period, could help move salmon aquaculture closer to sustainability.
If all goes to plan,  AquAdvantage salmon could be in a grocery store near you as soon as 2012 — just in time for the apocalypse.
Andrew Shockey is a 20-year-old biological engineering sophomore from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_Ashockey.
 
 
—-
Contact Andrew Shockey at [email protected]