ACTION ALERT:
Contact the FDA & HHS about Genetically Engineered Fish
As you may be aware, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected
to decide sometime this year whether or not to allow the commercial
growing of genetically engineered fish. Please participate in our ACTION
ALERT advising them not to grant approval.
In the past six months, two significant studies were released that
questioned the FDA's expertise to make this decision about genetically
engineered fish. The first study released last August was done by the
National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences and the
second one released last month was conducted by the Pew Initiative on
Food and Biotechnology.
Will the FDA heed the concerns from these two reports? Let's put some
pressure on them to make sure they know consumers are paying attention
to their actions.
Our ACTION ALERT is going to Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's
Center for Veterinary Medicine, Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Commissioner of
the FDA, and Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services (the
agency that oversees the FDA).
When you go to the web page on this ACTION ALERT, you will find further
background information about this important issue:
ACTION ALERT:
Let the USDA know that you want fish to be labeled as wild or farmed and by country of origin.
The USDA recently issued Interim Voluntary Country of Origin Labeling guidelines including the requirement for all fish to be labeled as wild-caught or farm-raised and by country of origin.
This is essential consumer information enabling us to make responsible consumer choices for a sustainable future. Guidelines are set to become mandatory in September 2004. There is a public comment period until April 9th 2003.
Let the USDA know that you support the new labeling guidelines. Knowing whether a fish is wild or farmed and what country it comes from allows us to trace production methods. This is beneficial for consumers.
Send your comments to:
Country of Origin Labeling Program
Agricultural Marketing Service
USDA
Stop 0249 Room 2092-S
1400 Independence Avenue SW
Washington DC 20250-0249
Or to William Sessions, Associate Deputy Administrator, Livestock and Seed
Program at william.sessions@usda.gov.
For more information on the new labeling guidelines:
www.ams.usda.gov/COOL/
For more information about the differences between wild and farmed salmon
visit:
www.iatp.org/fish/library/uploadedfiles/Salmon_Shoppers_Guide_A.pdf
FROM Mike Skladany, Ph.D, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
RESOURCES
Global Assessment of Organic Contaminents in Farmed Salmon
Farm-raised salmon contain significantly more dioxins and other potentially
cancer-causing pollutants than do salmon caught in the wild, says a major
study that tested contaminants in fish bought around the world.
Salmon farmed in Northern Europe had the most contaminants, followed by
North America and Chile, according to the study released today. It blames
the feed used on fish farms for concentrating the ocean pollutants.
Examining the impact of farming salmon
On July 3, 2003 SeaWeb, an ocean conservation organization,
released its report, "What Price Farmed Fish: A Review of the
Environmental and Social Costs of Farming Carnivorous Fish," authored by
Michael Weber, a marine conservation consultant. This timely report
examines the impacts of farming salmon and warns that the trend toward
farming additional carnivorous fish species, including tuna, cod, and
halibut, will likely generate many of the same problems.
The full report, including an executive summary, is available in PDF at:
www.AquacultureClearinghouse.org
LINKS
Seaweb Aquaculture Clearinghouse
SeaWeb is an independent, not-for-profit ocean information center that reaches out to government officials, the media, and interested public. To address the growing issue of fish farming in North America, in 1998 SeaWeb established an information clearinghouse on aquaculture issues.
Factory Fish Farming Reform
IATP's Fish and Marine Conservation Program promotes the following strategies: increased regulation and enforcement, adoption of voluntary standards by producers, buyers and sellers, organized consumer pressure through market campaigns and direct assistance to help local communities protect themselves from the hazards of industrial fish farming.
www.davidsuzuki.org/oceans
www.davidsuzuki.org/oceans/fish_farming
The David Suzuki Foundation primarily studies salmon farming and shellfish farming, and their effects on the marine environments where they occur.
www.aquanic.org/
The Aquaculture Network Information Center is a gateway to the world's electronic aquaculture resources. AquaNIC is a member of the National Sea Grant College Program's Network of Aquaculture Information Services along with the DOC/NOAA Aquaculture Information Center, National Sea Grant Library, Delaware Aquaculture Resource Center, and Maryland Sea Grant Program. A goal of AquaNIC is to provide access to all electronic aquaculture information at the national and international level.
www.lib.noaa.gov/docaqua/frontpage.htm
This Department of Commerce site is especially useful for news, science and technology information, upcoming events, and references about legislation, policy, permit and regulatory information affecting aquaculture development.
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