By Spencer Potts
Op-Ed Editor

The United States Food and Drug Administration, also known as the FDA, has approved the selling of some fishy products, namely AquaBounty’s genetically-modified salmon. There are many concerns about what this means for future FDA approval of genetically-modified organisms, as this is the first case of such.

AquaBounty, the group who has created the salmon in question, is a biotechnology company participating in the development and commercialization of products relating to productivity within the aquatic farming industry. The company engages in research for the industry and has developed hybrid forms of trout, tilapia and salmon. The “AquAdvantage Salmon,” is the next step for the company, marking the beginning in production of Genetically-Modified Organisms, known as GMOs, for the company.

GMOs are foods with quite the gamut of controversies and concerns in their surrounding; in the simplest definition GMOs are foods that have had changes imported into their DNA through genetic engineering instead of conventional cross breeding methods. Concerns over government regulation, or lack thereof, in the labeling of said foods; the effects brought onto exposed organisms and environments by said foods; and pesticide resistance of said food, along with its impact on farmers, with related issues have brought this approval to the point of controversy. Unlike many issues, such as climate change, there is no unanimous scientific consensus- each and every organism is approached individually.

The FDA’s decision approved the consumption of the genetically-modified salmon in the states, but not the production. A different agency, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, known as FWS, has not approved the production, leaving the company to continue production of said product in Panama.

“The proposal [to approve the AquaBounty salmon] also presents a situation where FDA, whose jurisdiction is not focused on natural resources, is entrusted with the authority to approve an application which poses such a threat to the country’s natural resources,” Jeff Adams, Branch Chief of the FWS, said.

The FDA is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, a United States federal executive department. Responsible for regulation and supervision of food safety, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetics, and the animal industry, the agency appears to have quite the handful of work. The agency is cluttered, and the biotechnology regulations have been glued together with flimsy bills since the 1980s, the structure itself is flawed and building upon that structure dooms its inevitable collapse to be even fiercer.

Gene escape offers another form of collapse for aquatic ecosystems; the breakout of the fish proves to be a serious concern. Escape has happened before, in 2008 an “unusually severe storm” damaged the water inlet system, allowing all of the fish to swim out. After data proved that there wasn’t any irregular storming at the time, a spokesman for the company, Susan Turner, revealed that the damage was actually caused by a fallen tree and that the memo was mistaken. The genetically-modified salmon grow at a rate 11 times faster than that of wild-type salmon and go through the process of smoltification faster than that of wild-type salmon. The genetically-modified salmon can easily adapt to new environments outside the hatchery and despite claims of successful sterilization, the process is not 100 percent, fertile females can reproduce.

“Maybe they [the FDA] should watch Jurassic Park,” wrote Denise Hawkins, an FWS Regional Geneticist in jest, referring to the concerns and their thematic relation to the movie series documenting a fictional world involving genetically modified organisms creating havoc after serious considerations are ignored. It appears these issues are always ignored when big money and government get involved.

The United States House of Representatives approved a bill this past summer known as H.R. 1599, a bill banning the labeling of genetically-modified foods. The House ironically labeled it the “Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act.” The bill will be considered by the Senate/

It appears that a government receiving over 750,000 dollars from the agriculture biotechnology corporation Monsanto would have only the needs of GMO producers in their minds. The officials that Americans -or at least the 42 percent of Americans that actually voted in the 2014 Congressional Elections- voted for. The power appears out of reach for many with an apathetic populace and corrupt voting system, but action can still be taken on an individual level through various forms of activism.

“I believe that GMOs have great potential, including both good and bad potential. In the right hands, it could be great; in the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic. I don’t think humanity is ready. I don’t think we should play God with the animals and plants of this planet quite just yet.” Cole Tiemann said, Neshaminy Senior, Nature Club Vice-President, and Senior Member of the Envirothon Team.

The FDA has made another mistake, baited by the allure of GMOs and the industry’s money. A can of worms has been opened and the mass indifference about the well-being of the planet continues.