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"" E T ' The Dangers of G M Fish
by Jenny Berkeley, RN
i Some people are concerned about the dangers of Genetically Modified (GM) fish, while
others are blissfully unaware of what is going on in the field of genetics and animal breed-
ing. In this article, I'll attempt to answer one simple question: if left to play out to its natural
outcome, what consequences could government-sanctioned production of GM fish entail?
T n That is the motivation have shown the effects of GM food is truly GMO free if the hens are fed a
{ I V \ I for creating genetically consumption in mice and humans. mixture containing GM feed.
V mod fled organisms? Because mice produce offspring The implications of Heinemann's
The official public relations line is rapidly,it is easy to see the impact of findings on our GM fish discussion is
f "to reduce the threat of starvation by their diet in the second or third gen- that a salmon predator like a shark or
i creating"super plants and animals eration.Mice born from parents fed other big fish,or even a human being,
that will grow better,faster and bigger, GM products were smaller,sicker and can be affected by the transfer of cel-
1. thus providing enough food for grow- sterile in some cases.French scien- lular material.
ing populations."This noble aspira- fists conducted studies on mice using Additionally,one major consider-
tion makes iteasy for people to get on three varieties of GM corn(NK603, ation that ethical,conscious human
the bandwagon,but the sad reality is MONSxo and MON863).NK 603 is beings must consider is the possible
that GM food manufacturers are only Roundup(pesticide)tolerant while negative impact of GM salmon on
interested in making money.They the MON8io and MON863 com are other marine wild life.Even though
aim to comer the market by,creating modified to create BT Toxins.The sci- the GM salmon manufacturer claims
consumer dependency on the patented entists found that the organs affected that those fish will be raised in land-
products they own.(Fish that are not were the kidney,liver,heart,adrenal locked breeding apparatus,who can
'I genetically modified can't be patented.) glands,spleen and haematopoietic say if those fish will not at some point
i Just as Monsanto is engineering system'This impact on mammalian find a way into the oceans,especially
patented self-terminating seeds that health gives us some idea of the po- from fisheries that are non-compliant
require farmers to buy new seeds for tential for marine life health effects. with the guidelines.The live GM
each harvest instead of using seeds It is quite possible that similar ef- salmon may become predators of
from previous crops,GM fish manu- fects could play out from GM fish con- natural non-GM salmon.
from p rs are producing fish that can- sumption.Could sharks or any other Suppose no GM fish escaped into
not reproduce among themselves. natural predators that feed on GM the wild and they were processed as
-{ Critics of these methods are con- salmon become sickly,develop issues normal salmon are processed today.
cemed that GM fish would escape into with their internal organs or become What about the fish waste products
wild fish population and reproduce sterile by the next gen.eration? like th-�y`eads,fins,guts,bones,etc.
with the wild fish,leading to species In a New Zealand report,Professor from traitionalfish processing?
extinction.Disease and ecosystem dis- of Genetics and Molecular biol- Would these GM fish parts be
ruption is already a huge problem with ogy at Canterbury University,Jack incinerated or simply added to feed
fish farming.Fish pens are frequently Heinemann,stated,"The cumulative for other fish,livestock or pet food?
damaged by storms and the farmed strength of positive detections Or would the waste simply be
fish introduced to the open waters can reviewed...leave mein no reasonable dumped back into the ocean?
often outnumber wild species. uncertainty that GM plant material Surely the genetic material in
The genetic modification industry can transfer to animals exposed to those fish parts,if eaten by other
is still in its infancy and the ramifi- GM feed in their diets or environment, sea creatures or land creatures,can
cations of GM products are widely and that there can be a residual differ- pose contamination health risks.It's
I, unknown.It could take a generation ence in animals or animal-products import ant to remember that even if
or two before the offspring of the as a result of exposure to GM feed._" regulation stipulated incineration,
1 consumers of these foods manifest Professor Heinemann was engaged to regulations are seldom enforced,and
the genetic corruption.However,there look into the possibility of whether a many comers are cut for profits.
are a few documented studies that meat producer can claim their chicken CONT'D ON P.57
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30 1 HIPPOCAATES HEALTH INSTITUTE ,I, wWW.HIPPOC RATE SIN STITUTE.ORG
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Salmon is a personal favorite.it might not seem evident
that soil-grown foods affect waterborne species,but agriculture and
ecosystems are inextricably linked.Such is the case with salmon,
says Maureen Wilmot,executive director of the Organic Farming
Research Foundation."Pesticides and herbicides commonly used I
for cotton,corn,soybeans,vineyards,and orchards deform fish
backbones;they're harmful to aquatic plants that make up the
salmon habitat,and they are toxic to the plants and insects that
the salmon eat;'she says:
Earlier this year,conservationists and the National Marine
Fisheries Service formally took up the issue with the Environmental
Protection Agency.Their documentation highlighted the need for
tougher restrictions on pesticide use around streams that support
. Pacific salmon,an endangered species.Organic farming is part of
the solution,says Wilmot.
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