Tell Obama What You Think About GE Salmon!

[ata]

The FDA is in the final stages of its in-house decision process on genetically engineered (GE) salmon. If approved, this would be the first genetically engineered animal permitted in the US. Many countries have already banned GE foods outright. The fish under review is a merging of Atlantic salmon with genes from Chinook salmon and Arctic Pout; it has been built to grow out bigger and faster than other farmed salmon.

FDA's Veterinary Advisory Committee will begin meeting on the East Coast next Sunday to develop a recommendation on the scientific aspects of approving GE salmon. A single US public hearing will be held, in conjunction with that meeting, but the hearing focus is limited to whether or not FDA should label these animals if approved for market. If you're not already signed up, you can't testify.

FDA is reviewing this fish as it would a drug, so is exempt from conducting the normal public process. The review began about 10 years ago and has been shrouded in secrecy to protect the patent rights of the developers. To our knowledge, the only environmental assessment that has been done was conducted by AquAdvantage, the company that engineered the fish.

Questions abound about genetically engineered salmon. Many appear to believe they are safe to eat and are not significantly different than any other Atlantic salmon, which many fear could make the fish a shoo-in for FDA approval. The company claims all of its fish will be raised in closed systems, as opposed to ocean net pens, so will not negatively impact other salmon or the environment. This may all be true, but without a full and open public process to review and discuss relevant information with various agencies and healthcare professionals; or a regulatory structure to dictate how and where that fish can be propagated and raised once it's sold to the fish farm industry, how can we be sure?

ATA has concerns about GE foodstuffs and has expressed them for many years. We are working on a letter with a number of groups around the nation which will be submitted to the FDA this week. ATA will also file comments on the labeling issue, which is open to public comment until Nov. 22.

A national call in day is being conducted Thursday Sept. 16 by many groups and individuals around the country. If approval of genetically engineered salmon, and/or other plants and animals, is of concern to you, please consider calling the White House this week to let them know. If you are reading this message after 9/16, I'm sure you can still call. Also plan to comment on labeling requirements by the November deadline.

To contact the Obama Administration:

1) Call the White House directly at 202-456-1111.

2) Tell them your name, where you're from, and then simply ask that President Obama direct the FDA not to approve genetically engineered salmon, or relay any other message of your choice on GE foods.


For More Information

Food and Drug Administration

Background and Status
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHea ... 224089.htm http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/Cons ... 222601.htm

TO FILE PUBLIC COMMENT ON LABELING http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/ ... %20-N-0385

***Look for 'Notices' and read the federal register notice. Then click on 'Submit a Comment', it will take you to a form where you can write/paste your comments, but only until Nov. 22. You can also read other comments as they are posted. Many people do not post until the end of the comment period, so check back regularly.

Center for Food Safety
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/geneticall3.cfm

Opinion Piece in Support of GE Foods
http://www.ktuu.com/news/la-oe-miller-f ... 3922.story

KTUU Channel 2 News September 2010
http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-business- ... 5255.story

[sitkaanne79]

Labeling requirements??? How about NO LABELING PERIOD!!!! Why couldn't we be a state that bans GE fish?? It's seems we are rolling over already.

I first heard this over the radio while on the slope, I just about ripped the radio out of the dash. What a kick in the teeth. Backing down is not an option, whatsoever on this issue. I'm so torqued right now im going to leave it at this for now.

[Salty]

Dale,
Thanks for all the intel.

Eric

[ata]

At this point there are no genetically modified fish to ban, but because this issue has been on the horizon for about a decade, the Alaska Legislature discussed it a number of times. They stepped up to the plate in 2005 and worked with ATA and many other groups around the state to lock in Alaska labeling requirements for genetically engineered fish. SB 25 (by Senators Kim Elton & Gary Stevens) passed the legislature with a near unanimous vote of both houses. If the FDA decides to allow genetically engineered salmon to be sold, Alaska retailers will be required to label the product so that consumers can make an informed buying choice. That isn't the case in most other US states.

We share your frustration that a label should even be necessary. ATA opposes GE fish. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration- and now Obama's - allowed FDA to evaluate these fish and make the decision in the same manner it reviews new drugs. This means FDA is exempt from public process and is not obliged to hold hearings, or even consider public comment, as they make this decision. It's tough to 'roll over' when you don't even have an arena in which to fight. The bone FDA has tossed the public is to take comment on labeling requirements.

So, our best - and only - two options are these: ask the president to prevent or overide FDA approval; and, work to ensure that - at minimum - consumers are informed about how their food is produced.

As for an outright ban in Alaska, I suppose that's always an option to try if FDA approves GE fish. Hopefully that won't be necessary and FDA will recognize that too many people are unwilling to gamble on the safety of GE fish without more research and a full and open public discussion. In my opinion, this discussion about our food supply should have occured long before they modified corn and soy, which we find in nearly all the food on the grocers shelves. The public is definitely behind the curve when it comes to getting adequate information on the pros and cons of, much less the goals for, genetically engineered foodstuffs.

Fortunately, we already have a ban on fish farming in the state and Atlantic salmon (the GE fish) are considered an invasive species here, so if those policies hold, we should have some insurance against any environmental issues that may arise. Again, other states are not so fortunate.

Of course, with escaped fish from net pens in Washington State and British Columbia finding their way to Alaska, we'll have to also fight to make sure any GE fish are only raised in closed systems on land. So, we must remain vigilent as the issue unfolds.

Dale
ATA

[hopeless chuck]

This is just another step in the Feds determination to eliminate the small fisherman and to allow corporations to prevail. And its both political parties to blame, hopefully your Alaskan politicians will keep up the fight for you all. I would suggest, if you call the White house comment line have the person taking your comment repeat your comment back to you, I got the feeling he was not writing it down as I stated it.

[ata]

Thanks so much for making the attempt - that's all we can ask. It took hours for me to get through. If you had the same problem, I admire your tenacity just waiting to talk to a live person. At least we know that folks were lighting up the phone lines, and the receiving end was probably talking to others in the office about callers mentioning 'something about salmon, or modifying...or...?

Whatever the take home message wound up being, I'm sure they realized that a lot of people are upset about something...and maybe a few of the scribes even wrote it down properly and passed it up the (yet to be modified salmon) food chain. We can hope.

No surrender!

dk

[yak2you2]

I simply don't have the time to spend on the phone waiting to be ignored.
I will make this observation though.
In my Latest copy of Discover magazine, there is an article that talks about how genetically modified corn has got free and is now reproducing on it's own along roadsides in North Dakota. So far, they havn't been able to contain it from spreading into wild stocks the article says.
I'm thinking, if you can't control corn, in a ditch, that doesn't even have a tail with which to swim, what business do you have playing Frankenstein with the animal kingdom?

[hopeless chuck]

I only had to wait about 2 or 3 minutes for my call to go through to the White House, I'm sure the waiting time varies.
I would say that making calls to political figures does count and can be effective, and by going on sites as this to ask folks to call, sign petitions, contact others, works and works well . What I have learned over the last 10 years of activism is that you would be amazed what a phone call can do (if you don't ask you don't get) . The lower down the power base the easier it is to talk to the person themselves (County Commissioners, Mayors and even Sate Legislators). When you go to the Federal level you can talk to aids and get alot done, and by sticking with it you can make your way to the person you want to talk to, the same goes for Government Agencies (always remember we are their employers). Alot has to do with the issue and how far you want to push your issue. Threatening to go public (the press) can do wonders if you have the facts on your side (always be respectful and calm, a trait I have had problems with but keep trying to improve) . The most effective strategy I've found is using their own words, numbers, documents, etc. etc. to make your point and to advance your issue. Keep up the fight.

[yak2you2]

You are right Chuck. A person should call, vote, and do their part where ever they can, and I regularly do. I'm just so disgusted with everybody involved for even considering this, that it makes me not want to even talk about it at times. After all the damns, high seas by-catch politics, farmed Atlantic salmon, etc., a person gets a little hardened. I feel like a weed that my own govt. is intentionally trying to pluck from the garden, which makes me feel like they really aren't interested at all in hearing what I have to say about anything.
I do think that the corn point is a good angle of attack.

[salmon4u]

I'm sure no one in Washington will ask fisherman our opinions of how risky this could be to our resources or livelihoods. And good luck with leaving a message for the president if you don't belong to one of the large unions or special interest groups. just have to say

[hopeless chuck]

I think back many years ago talking with a friend who was once the President of the Wa. Trollers Assoc. I had asked him why the Trollers were getting hit so hard by the Feds. He told me a story about when he was in DC going around the halls of Congress trying to get support for Trollers. One official pointed out a shelf with several piles of papers stacked up next to each other (pre-computer age) . He pointed out to him, see the largest stack, that's the Trawlers input, next the tribes, then the gill netters, etc. etc. and at the end with the smallest stack were the trollers.
So the trollers who are the cleanest of the fisheries (little bi-catch) and with the most environmentally correct methods of harvesting of fish get hammered the hardiest from the get go (Boldt decision), few fighting, most fishing not knowing what was about to happen.
I guess my point is, sitting on your ass doing nothing politically, as I did, was a stupid mistake on my part (young and stupid). I know stopping the Feds is tough, sometimes all you can do is slow them down. But if you love your way of life, one must fight. And don't get so discouraged and give up, that's exactly what they want you to do, give up! A lesson I have learned 30 years to late. I'd give anything to be along side you all doing the only job on this planet that's not a job, keep up the faith and the fight, and even a phone call can help, Chuck.

[John Murray]

Thanks for the insightful comments Chuck.There have been many folks from the fleet who have rolled up their sleeves to get the heavy lifting done.I look at some of these as my hero's.One could say its only in their self interest,but its much more then that most of the time.I was hiking up Indian river trail a couple of days ago.Looking at the last of the pinks going thru their beautiful cycle and the rich habitat that supports that and the coho still in the deep holes.That river support us and we have supported the many rivers,streams and estuaries from the degradation we have witnessed up and down the west coast.Its that connection with our livilyhood and the system that that produces those big coho this season.If fisherman didn't do what needed to get done to help put in place protect area's,proper stream side management things would no doubt look way different up here.

[Salty]

Thanks John for recognizing that while we as fishemen are at the mercy of mother nature it is also no accident particularly in SE Alaska it is also no accident that we have sacrificed to conserve and sustain the wild runs, largely eliminated high seas salmon gillnetting, protected our forage fish(herring) banned salmon farming, adopted the strongest wild salmon protection policies on earth (thanks Senator Eliason) fought to preserve old growth forest habitat, and prohibited grundfish trawling in SE.

But the battles go on. Trawlers want back into SE, there are hundreds of streams stll degraded by past logging waiting restoration, and the gillnetters want to permanently institutionalize their recent hatchery harvest excess.

[mydona]

FDA rules won't require labeling of genetically modified salmon http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 0091804108 "Extra labeling only confuses the consumer," and "They are clearly protecting industry and not the public."

[hopeless chuck]

Great rebound for the Fraser River sockeye. Note the erroneous claims from the fish farm industry, Chuck.

http://thecanadian.org/k2/item/304-fras ... ye-fishery

[Martin09]

What is the current status of this issue?

[ata]

Hi Martin:

No news yet. Since the FDA veterinary advisory committee called for additional information and FDA postponed its decision, my guess is that FDA and the applicants are regrouping and we won't hear much for awhile. That said, you never know - things tend to pop up faster than expected sometimes, so we're continuing to keep our ear to the ground.

Season's Best!

Dale
ATA

[Martin09]

I sent a letter to Murkowski on her webpage... or in other words, I sent an email to Murkowski's assistant. I also called the white house. Not sure what else I can do. I am looking to get into trolling. I really hope that this wont pass, could really ruin our industry here.

[ata]

Thanks!

The Alaska congressional delegation has been very supportive on this issue. Rep. Young even filed two bills on the subject - one trying to outlaw GMO seafood (H.R.6265) and another calling for labeling if ever there is GMO seafood (H.R.6264). You can search them out here: http://thomas.loc.gov

Dale
ATA

[Abundance]

Maybe we've been looking at this wrong!