TOP NEWS

January 20, 2012

• California Bill to Label GE Fish Fails: AB 88—the California bill which would have required that all genetically engineered (GE) fish sold in California contain clear and prominent labeling—failed in the Assembly Appropriations Committee on 20 January by a vote of 9-7.While we are disappointed that AB 88 failed today, we are encouraged by the level of support the bill received in a tough Committee. The bill’s failure in Committee came despite clear consumer demand for labeling of GE fish. “If we had put this bill before the people of California, it would have passed overwhelmingly,” said the bill’s author, Assembly Member Jared Huffman. For more information on GE fish, visit CFS’s campaign website http://www.ge-fish.org.

  For information on federal bills:

  The U.S. Senate: S. 230 (ban) and S. 229 (mandatory labeling)
  The U.S. House: H.R. 521 (ban) and H.R. 520 (mandatory labeling)

January 11, 2012

• The Global Aquaculture Alliance Gave the Best Aquaculture Practices Certification to Four British Columbia Salmon Farms: The Global Aquaculture Alliance, the leading standards-setting organization for aquaculture seafood, announced the Best Aquaculture Practices certification of four salmon farms owned and operated in British Columbia, Canada, by Grieg Seafood B.C. Ltd.BAP certification is based on the international Best Aquaculture Practices standards developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance. For salmon and other major farmed species, BAP requires effective management of animal health, feed inputs, water quality and food safety. In a process that includes site inspections and in-depth audits, social responsibility and traceability are additional requirements. For more information check out the press release here.

December 2, 2011

• Canadian Government Kept Detection of Salmon Virus a Secret: The Seattle TimesRelated has uncovered that a decade ago, before this fall’s salmon-virus scare, the Canadian government hid a government researcher’s findings on a similar virus in more than 100 wild fish from Alaska to Vancouver Island. Canadian officials never revealed to the public, or U.S. scientists, about the researcher’s work — not even after evidence of the virus discovered this past October was treated as an international emergency. The researcher’s work surfaced only this week after she sought and was denied permission by a Canadian official to try to have her old data published in a scientific journal.Scientists and wild-fish advocates long have feared the arrival of infectious salmon anemia (ISA) virus, a pathogen linked to aquaculture that has killed millions of farmed salmon in Europe and Chile. They say it could mutate and devastate wild fish stocks.

  The Canadian scientist, Molly Kibenge, found evidence of a European strain of the ISA virus — but no illness — in 117 fish, according to a paper she prepared later. She concluded that a nonlethal form of the virus may exist naturally in wild Pacific salmon. Her results went nowhere. In the wake of the October virus report, she sought permission from her lab colleague, Simon Jones, who works for a division of Fisheries & Oceans Canada, to submit her old research to a journal, but Mr. Jones declined to give his permission while citing the agency’s disputes with her results.

  The virus is considered so dangerous that, if its presence is confirmed, Canada is obligated to report it to the World Organization for Animal Health, just as it would foot-and-mouth disease or bird flu. Such a report would be a devastating blow to British Columbia’s aquaculture industry. For more information check out the 29 November Seattle Times article: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016890291_salmonvirus30m.html?prmid=4939. Also see the 30 November Anchorage Daily News article: www.adn.com/2011/11/30/2195749/senator-irked-by-unpublished-salmon.html#ixzz1fIcpeSjP.

October 21, 2011

• Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) Found in Wild Pacific Salmon: Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) has been found in wild Pacific Northwest salmon for the first time in a recent study. While the virus does not affect humans, it is lethal to salmon life. This is the first confirmed instance of this particular infection in the Pacific Northwest. This disease is of major concern as it is highly contagious. In Chile and Scotland, the virus has spread rapidly through aquaculture fish operations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explain that the virus has spread to such an extent due to high density open ocean net pens used in most of the world’s salmon farms. In a world without these kinds of close quartered farms, the virus dies out with the sick fish. Today, in a cramped pen of salmon, a sick fish dies slowly and sheds the virus particles among the healthy population, which can then spread to nearby migrating wild stocks. Farm stocks in other locales have been hit hard by the virus in the past. When an outbreak hits a salmon farm, more than 70 percent of the stock is typically lost.

  No nation has successfully eradicated these persistent fish virus. There is no vaccine or treatment. Morton argues that the only way to eliminate the spread from the farms to the wild is to eliminate salmon farming practices altogether. Zach Corrigan, fish program director at Food & Water Watch notes: “[h]aven’t we learned anything from factory farming on land? It’s a bastion of disease. We should be pursuing closed-system, land-based fish farming methods instead of factory farming our oceans.” For more information check out the 17 October New York Times article: www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/science/18salmon.html. Also check out Dan Bacher’s 20 October article on AlterNet: http://blogs.alternet.org/danbacher/2011/10/20/infectious-salmon-disease-breaks-out-on-west-coa.

September 30, 2011

• Seafood for Tomorrow: Sustainability and the Rise of Aquaculture in the U.S.: Wildfish Coalition members – Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and Institute for Fisheries Resources – published an article in the September 2011 Fishermen’s News publication titled Seafood for Tomorrow: Sustainability and the Rise of Aquaculture in the U.S. The article discusses the need for land-based closed-containment aquaculture systems to become the norm in aquaculture development. Off-shore open ocean aquaculture comes at a high price to our ocean ecosystems; land-based aquaculture carries the potential to revitalize communities both economically and structurally while feeding the ever-increasing global demand for seafood. Read the full article here: http://www.pcffa.org/fn-sep11.htm.

July 1, 2011

• Fish Farms in New Zealand Spark Debate: The New Zealand government recently announced the end of a 10-year moratorium on aquaculture in the Marlborough Sounds region, instigating new fears that future fish farms could have a devastating impact on the pristine waters in the area. Marlborough Sounds supports a thriving ecotourism industry, frequented by travelers who come to gaze at the dolphins, whales, and seals living there. “It has the potential to turn our beautiful Sounds into one great big fish farming area,” Peter Beech, a local tour boat operator, told the London Independent. “I’m not sure this is a fight we can win.”The New Zealand King Salmon Company has applied to create a slew of new fish farms in the area that would double its output to 15,000 tons by 2015 as part of its long term business plan. The company acknowledges its environmental responsibility, and says there have been few problems at its existing Marlborough Sounds fish farms established before the moratorium. Chief Executive Grant Rosewarne said expanding aquaculture would bring jobs to the area and, with the high market price of smoked salmon, provided export earnings for New Zealand’s struggling economy.

  But Beech, who helped establish an environmental group called Guardians of the Sounds, points to the environmental problems created by salmon farms in countries like Scotland and Chile. “The only reason it hasn’t happened here is because there are so few of them,” Beech told the Independent. “But as soon as they start to farm intensively, they’ll get diseased just like they have in every other country in the world.” Beech also believes the “visual pollution” of fish farms — which are fenced enclosures around fish pools — and the threat of disease, could undermine New Zealand’s “100 percent pure” tourism marketing slogan. For more information, check out the 19 June article from The Independent: www.independent.co.uk/environment/fish-farms-spark-green-debate-in-new-zealand-2299810.html.

June 16, 2011

• Success in Stage One of Genetically Engineered Salmon Ban!: On 15 June, the U.S. House of Representatives approved an amendment by Congressman Don Young (R-AK) that would bar the Food and Drug Administration from spending money to approve an application for controversial genetically-engineered (GE) salmon. If the agency were to approve the GE fish–which grow rapidly, reducing cost of production–it would be the first GE animal approved for human consumption. The measure passed the Republican-controlled House by voice vote.The approval of GE salmon would represent a serious threat to the survival of native salmon populations, many of which have already suffered severe declines related to salmon farms and other man-made impacts. Wild Atlantic salmon are already on the Endangered Species List in the U.S.; approving these GE Atlantic salmon could be the final blow to these wild stocks. Additionally, the human health impacts of eating GE fish are entirely unknown.

  Lawmakers from salmon states–who often call GE salmon “alien fish,” “frankenfish” or “monsters”– have been fighting for months to pass legislation to block FDA’s expected approval of the fish.

  “Frankenfish threatens our wild stocks, their habitat, our food safety, and would bring economic harm to Alaska’s wild salmon fishermen,” said Senator Begich (D-AK) in February, when a similar measure was introduced in the upper chamber, adding that he believes the modified fish are “risky, unprecedented and unnecessary.”

  Members of Congress from several key salmon states, on both sides of the aisle, have now signed onto bills to block the salmon. The Senate has not yet voted on the matter. For more information, read the 16 June Food Safety News article: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/06/post-2/.

June 8, 2011

• Stop the Certification of Farmed Salmon as “Sustainable” and “Responsible”: The Institute for Fisheries Resources has joined the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture (GAAIA) and a slew of other organizations in taking a stand against the certification of farmed salmon as “responsible” and “sustainable” by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.The Aquaculture Stewardship Council has proposed a farmed salmon certification system called the “Standards for Responsible Salmon Aquaculture” which shamefully allows: Waste Pollution, Chemical Contamination, Killing of Wildlife, Sea Lice & Infectious Diseases, Non-Native Species, Escapes, Unsustainable & Non-Certified Fish Feed, Transgenic Plants, Copper-treated Nets & Biocides, 20% Mortality, Antibiotics & Toxic Chemicals and Deaths of Workers.

  The farming of carnivorous fish such as salmon is environmentally, socially, ethically and morally bankrupt. Salmon farming is fundamentally flawed. The farming of salmon in open net cages or pens in the sea and in freshwater can never eliminate problems with escapes, infectious diseases, parasites, chemicals and waste pollution. Even closed containment systems on land or in the sea can never eliminate problems of energy use and the use of depleted and contaminated fish meal and fish oil.

  Any farming process which leads to a net loss of resources can never ever be certified as “sustainable”.

  Sign on to the petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-certification-of-farmed-salmon-as-sustainable-and-responsible

March 4, 2011

• OCEAN CONSERVANCY RELEASES OPEN OCEAN AQUACULTURE REPORT: In response to draft Commerce’s NOAA policy, the Ocean Conservancy Released an Open-Ocean Aquaculture report that articulates need for strong national standards. Titled “Right from the Start,” the report which was released on 2 March , 2011 provides detailed policy recommendations on the need for a strong, national framework for ocean fish farming.  In early February, the Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its draft national marine aquaculture policy intended to guide the expansion and regulation of open-ocean aquaculture in the aftermath of the 2009 Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council’s Aquaculture Fishery Management Plan. While a step in the right direction, NOAA’s national policy is entirely discretionary and thus lacks the binding national standards needed to ensure ocean aquaculture protects the public’s interest in healthy oceans. “Right from the Start” analyzes the range of environmental risks of open ocean fish farming and provides over two dozen detailed policy recommendations on how to address these concerns.

  “The regulatory status quo is not acceptable: it is adequate for neither the conservation community, the American public, the aquaculture industry, nor our nation’s ocean.” said Dr. George H. Leonard, Ocean Conservancy’s aquaculture program director. “Open ocean aquaculture should proceed only under new legally binding national standards. When poorly planned, it threatens marine life, pollutes the ocean, and squanders natural resources. And the current policy of allowing various Fishery Management Councils to produce their own regulations only makes the problem worse. It is incumbent on all of us to advocate for the lasting changes needed to ensure our children live in a world with healthy and abundant seafood,” concluded Leonard. View the report here: http://www.oceanconservancy.org/assets/pdf/aquaculture-rightfromthestart.pdf. For more information visit the Ocean Conservancy’s website: http://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/aquaculture/.

February 28, 2011

• URGE CONGRESS TO TAKE A STAND AGAINST GE FISH!: Support the bipartisan legislation to ban GE fish, require labeling. Despite nearly 400,000 comments in opposition, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to announce its approval of genetically engineered (GE) salmon any day now. To make matters worse, FDA argues that these GE salmon don’t even need to be labeled! Go to the Center for Food Safety website to submit a prewritten letter.

  In response to FDA’s imminent approval, Congress is taking action. Senator Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Representative Don Young (R-Alaska) recently introduced bipartisan legislation in Congress that would ban GE fish (Bill# S. 230/H.R. 521) and require mandatory labeling for consumers if approved (Bill# S. 229/H.R. 520).

  The legislation has been endorsed by 64 consumer, worker, religious and environmental groups, along with commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries associations, food businesses and retailers—including the Center for Food Safety, Ocean Conservancy, Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development, the Alaska Trollers Association, Food and Water Watch, the National Cooperative Grocers Association and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations among others—who know that the approval of GE salmon would represent a serious threat to the survival of native salmon populations, many of which have already suffered severe declines related to salmon farms and other man-made impacts. Wild Atlantic salmon are already on the Endangered Species List in the U.S.; approving these GE Atlantic salmon could be the final blow to these wild stocks. Additionally, the human health impacts of eating GE fish are entirely unknown. If GE salmon are approved, these fish must be labeled so people can make informed choices.

  Please write your U.S. Senators and Representative and urge them to protect fisher folk, consumers and the environment by co-sponsoring S. 230/H.R. 521 and S. 229/H.R. 520! Follow this link to submit a prewritten letter from the Center for Food Safety.

February 25, 2011

• DR. VANDANA SHIVA DISCUSSES SHRIMP FARMING BACK IN 2005: LESSONS IN SUSTAINABILITY: Watch the recording of Vandana Shiva’s 2005 lecture at Michigan State University: Vandana Shiva Lecture at Michigan State University, 2005
  

January 14, 2011

• STUDY FINDS THAT SALMON FARM POLLUTANTS CONTAMINATE WILD FISH AS WELL AS THE FARMED FISH: A scientific study published in Environmental Science & Technology found that wld fish living off the coast of Norway near salmon farms are getting a toxic free lunch. The fish are eating food pellets meant for their penned neighbors – pellets that can be contaminated with chemicals known to end up in farmed fish.Now, the wild fish harbor these chemicals, too, according to the recent study that compared contaminant levels in wild fish living near the pens with those that live farther away and do not eat the fish food pellets.

  The researchers report that the wild fish living in areas adjacent to Norwegian salmon farms had twice the levels of certain pollutants than fish not living near the farms. Important differences were seen between the two fish species – salmon and saithe – studied. The results suggest that eating wild fish that live near salmon farms may also be a concern for human exposure to these contaminants. Find the full article here.

January 14, 2011

• PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND GROUP TAKING A STAND AGAINST FRANKENSALMON PRODUCTION: A group of environmental, social and health advocates is calling on Premier Robert Ghiz to put a stop to the genetically engineered salmon currently being produced in Prince Edward Island.Leo Broderick of the Council of Canadians, who has taken his fight to Washington, says the Prince Edward Island government should have a say on what is happening within its own boundaries. “People all over the world are very concerned that Prince Edward Island will become the sole producer of the first genetically engineered (GE) animals, if in fact the United States does license it for the dinner plate,” Broderick said following his 45-minute meeting with the premier on Thursday.“It’s a black eye for the province. We do not need this distinction or designation as the home of the Frankensalmon.” Check out The Guardian article for more information.

January 12, 2011

• BIOTECH LOBBYING DOLLARS ARE ENSURING THAT DANGEROUS GE FISH AND ANIMALS ARRIVE ON YOUR PLATE: A new study by the organization Food & Water Watch has analyzed the lobbying activities of biotech companies and food patent holders since 1999. The findings are not surprising. They do, however, explain why the biotechnology industry is unreasonably a favorite of U.S. Congress members and regulatory agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

  One key finding is that the top food and agricultural biotechnology firms spent more than $547 million lobbying Congress since 1999. Additionally, lobbying expenditures and PAC contributions to biotech-friendly advocacy groups rose twofold, from $35.0 million in 1999 to $71.0 million in 2009. Check out the article from the CA Independent Voter Network to learn about the rest of the findings. You can also read the full Food & Water Watch report here.

January 7, 2011

• PASSAMAQUODDY BAY ENDANGERED DUE TO OPEN OCEAN AQUACULTURE: Canadian officials are investigating the use of pesticides in and near Passamaquoddy Bay due to abnormally high lobster deaths off Grand Manan Island in late 2009 and off Deer Island in early 2010. Both islands are located directly across the international border shared with Maine.According to officials, salmon farm operators have been using and disposing pesticides in coastal waters at the expense of crustaceans - lobsters and sea lice.As part of the investigation, Environment Canada executed a search warrant in November at eight facilities in New Brunswick. The facilities are owned and operated by Cooke Aquaculture, a salmon aquaculture firm that also operates salmon farms in Maine. According to media reports, cypermethrin, a pesticide that is licensed for use in Maine but banned in Canada, was detected in dead lobsters on the two Canadian Islands. Read the full Bangor Daily News article here.

November 2, 2010

• CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES URGED TO SAY NO TO GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON AND CO-SPONSOR REP. DON YOUNG’S (AK) HR 6265: On 29 September 2010, Rep. Don Young of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Please visit our Frankenfish page to read the proposed bill. H.R. 6265 defines genetically engineered (GE) fish as unsafe under Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act. The bill is clear and concise - it amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to prevent the approval of genetically engineered fish. President Obama is also urged to immediately put a stop to the pending approval by the Food and Drug Administration of the first GE organism for human consumption – AquaBounty Technologies (AquaBounty) AquAdvantage® salmon. The flawed approval process is poised to result in a product being released into the environment and sold to consumers that could have significant adverse health and environmental impacts. It is very important to act quickly to safeguard U.S. consumers, fishing and coastal communities, and the environment.There are very serious concerns about damage to the environment if FDA approves AquaBounty’s GE salmon. While the FDA suggests that these fish would only be grown in land-based facilities, we aware of no explicit restrictions that prevent fish farmers from growing these GE fish in open water net pens and cages, where escaped fish, fish waste, other pollutants, and any infectious diseases could spread to the natural environment. AquaBounty claims that its eggs will produce reproductively sterile, all female fish to help prevent any escaped fish from interbreeding with wild fish.[i] However, the company’s own data suggests that 5 percent of its eggs may not be sterile and it plans to produce millions of eggs for the culture of its fish. Also, several studies suggest that an invasion of transgenic fish into a natural fish population via an escape, even if they are sterilized, could eventually lead to the extinction of both wild and transgenic fish in that region.[ii] Other concerns include competition for habitat and food, abnormal behaviors of farmed fish and their interactions with wildlife and uncertainty regarding all potential impacts.[iii] Finally, we are concerned about the dangerous precedent that this ruling could set, as Aquabounty will likely seek FDA approval for its other genetically engineered products – GE tilapia and GE trout.[iv]

  Given the inappropriate approval process, the lack of transparency for over ten years regarding this particular application, and the myriad of potential human health and ecological risks associated with production and consumption of GE animals, the AquAdvantage® salmon should not be approved for human consumption.  H.R. 6265 or similar legislation should be supported in the Senate. President Obama should put the brakes on the current FDA approval process and require a comprehensive environmental statement to address the various concerns addressed in this letter.

[i] AquaBounty Technologies. “AquAdvantage® Fish.”  Available at http://www.aquabounty.com/products/aquadvantage-295.aspx, accessed August 31, 2010.

[ii] Hedrick, Philip W.  “Invasion of transgenes from salmon or other genetically modified organisms into natural populations.”  Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 58 (2001) at 842-3; and Muir, William M. and Richard D. Howard.  “Assessment of possible ecological risks and hazards of transgenic fish with implications for other sexually reproducing organisms.”  Transgenic Research 11( 2002) at 107.

[iii] Hallerman, Eric M., et al.  “Effects of growth hormone transgenes on the behavior and welfare of aquacultured fishes: A review identifying research needs.”  Applied Animal Behaviour Science 104 (2007).

[iv] See http://www.aquabounty.com/products/aquadvantage-295.aspx, accessed September 13, 2010.

November 2, 2010

• FDA WITTHELD EVIDENCE AGAINST FRANKENFISH SALMON: Adding a new twist to the controversy over genetically engineered (GE) salmon, it has been revealed in recent hearings on transgenic fish that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) knowingly withheld a Federal Biological Opinion by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) prohibiting the use of transgenic salmon in open-water net pens pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). “This adds further evidence that in fact GE salmon pose a serious threat to marine environments and is another compelling reason for the FDA not to approve the fish for commercial use,” said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety. “While the FDA applauded the company’s choice of land-based containment as responsible, it never revealed that it is illegal in the U.S. to grow genetically engineered salmon in open-water net pens.” The Biological Opinions and supplemental information, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, challenge claims by AquaBounty Technologies, the developer of the GE salmon, that the transgenic fish pose no threat to marine environments.  The GE Atlantic salmon under consideration was engineered with growth hormone genes from an unrelated Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and DNA from the anti-freeze genes of an eelpout (Zoarces americanus). For more details, visit the Center for Food Safety’s GE fish website at: http://ge-fish.org/. And tell Congress and President Obama to protect your health, native salmon populations and the environment from GE fish:

  Congress: https://secure3.convio.net/cfs/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=335
  
  President Obama: https://secure3.convio.net/cfs/site/Advocacy?alertId=341&pg=makeACall

October 4, 2010

• FRANKENFISH OPPOSITION GROWS – FDA CALLED UPON TO REJECT APPROVAL OF GE SALMON; OVER FIFTY ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES ENDORSE CONGRESSIONAL LETTERS: The Center for Food Safety applauds the 40 Representatives and Senators for requesting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) halt the approval of the long-shelved AquaBounty transgenic salmon, the first genetically engineered (GE) animal intended for human consumption.Congressmen Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), and Mike Thompson (D-CA) led 29 Members of the House of Representatives in asking the FDA to halt the approval process of AquaBounty GE salmon in a letter to FDA Commissioner, Margaret Hamburg.  Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) led 10 Senators in a similar letter to FDA Commissioner Hamburg. The letters call on the agency to halt approval as well as thoroughly examine and address the serious flaws with FDA’s approval process and include greater public input and scientific data.

September 14, 2010

• FRANKENFISH - SAY NO TO GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON: The FDA is considering approving a genetically engineered salmon for human consumption, the AquAdvantage Salmon produced by AquaBounty Technologies (Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0001).  The FDA also announced a public hearing and public comment period on labeling of the GE AquAdvantage salmon (Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0385). The FDA comment period begins on Sunday, September 19. This genetically engineered salmon would be the first  genetically engineered animal approved for human consumption. The genetically engineered Atlantic salmon being considered was developed by artificially combining growth hormone genes from an unrelated Pacific salmon with DNA from the anti-freeze genes of an eelpout (Zoarces americanus).  This modification causes production of growth-hormone year-round, creating a fish the company claims grows at twice the normal rate, allowing factory fish farms to crowd fish into pens and still get high production rates. The potential approval of such an animal threatens wild salmon through escapes and genetic pollution “Trojan gene effect”. These GE salmon are intended for use on a global scale, but there is not yet a containment regime that can reliably put in place on a global level.  Additionally, there are concerns about the potential toxicity, allergenic effects, and diseases posed by the commercialization of transgenic fish.  While data on human health impacts of GE fish is sparse, especially since FDA has yet to share the data it has reviewed, some recent studies have provided cause for serious concern. A coalition of concerned groups including fishing orgs, food industry, environmentalists and tribes are coming together to try to stop the FDA from approving GE fish. Please visit the GE Fish Campaign Website and Food and Water Watch’s website to learn more.

July 30, 2010

• CALL FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON PROPOSED CANADIAN FARMED SALMON STANDARDS: Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) have been working behind closed doors with members of the salmon farming industry to develop a standard that would allow net-cage salmon farms to be certified as “organic.” A draft of this standard has just been released for public review and comment, overseen by the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB), until 30 August 2010. The proposed standards cover seaweed, shellfish, closed containment and net-cages. As written, “organic” certification would be granted to net-cages with little to no changes to current practices. Canadians should let their government know they are opposed to this standard. Americans should tell the Canadian government that they will not support farmed salmon raised in open-net-cages and that a bogus organics label won’t change their mind. The U.S. remains the largest market for Canadian farmed salmon and until U.S. organic aquaculture standards are passed into regulation, Canadian “organic” salmon could be sold on American shelves and menus without restriction. Emails must be submitted in the following format: Email address: PAR-RPA@dfo-mpo.gc.ca. Subject: Pacific Aquaculture Regulations Re: The Canada Gazette, Part I, Vol. 144, No. 28 - July 10, 2010. Attention: Ed Porter, Team Leader, Regulatory Operations, Aquaculture Management Directorate. Body: your comments and suggestions.To get ideas for submission comments, go to the Farmed and Dangerous assessment of the standard. To view the standard, go to the Canadian General Standards Board website.
  

October 27, 2009

• SCIENTISTS VALIDATE A METHOD FOR DIFFERENTIATING 8 TUNA VARIETIES VIA GENETIC TESTING: A new paper published October 27 in PLos ONE, the online, open-access scientific journal, unveils for the first time a method to accurately distinguish between all eight tuna species from any kind of processed tissue using genetic sequencing.  A Validated Method for Identification of Tuna Species (Genus Thunnus), PLos ONE.

October 24, 2009

• FIRST OPEN OCEAN TUNA FARM APPROVED OFF THE BIG ISLAND: Hawaii regulators have approved a Honolulu startup company’s plan to build the nation’s first commercial bigeye tuna farm in waters off the Big Island.  Hawaii Oceanic Technology aims to create an open ocean farm for bigeye tuna, a favorite source for sushi and sashimi that demands top dollar across the globe.  The first phase of the project will install 3 fish cages.  If the group’s unproven passive electrical systems work successfully and regulators recognize no negative impacts to the surrounding waters, the company plans to install an additional 9 cages.  Several critics told the board they’re worried diseased farm fish would escape and contaminate wild stocks, and others said they’re worried about where Hawaii Oceanic would obtain its fish feed.  “The project won’t be sustainable if it imports its feed and exports about 90 percent of its product,” said Rob Parsons, a board member of the environmentalist group Maui Tomorrow. “The venture looks like it will suffer from the same pollution and disease problems as cattle farms,” he said.  “This is not a farm,” Parsons said. “It’s an industrial feed lot.”  Hawaii Regulators Approve First US Tuna Farm, The Associated Press.

October 21, 2009

• ESCAPED AQUACULTURE EXOTIC COULD BECOME THREAT TO WATERWAYS: Louisiana officials say native shrimp species could be infected with a variety of diseases if the giant tigers, scientifically named penaeus monodon, establish a population in Louisiana’s waterways.  The species is native to the western Pacific and is widely farmed commercially.  Exotic Shrimp Species Could Become Threat to Local Waterways, Houma Today.

October 16, 2009

• KONA BLUE SEAFOOD WATCH RANKING IMPROVED, CRITERIA QUESTIONED BY SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY: Kona Blue’s improved wild fish in and farmed fish out ratio (WI:FO), which is used as an indicator of sustainability by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, has helped boost the fish’s image among the environmental community.  Increases in soy, grain and poultry feed to the meal plans of the aquaculture company’s Kona Kampachi stock has reduced the WI:FO score to less than 2.00 and has qualified its for the “good alternative” rating by Seafood Watch. Seafood Watch’s method for calculating WI:FO has been criticized by Dr. Andrew Jackson, technical director of the International Fishmeal & Fish Oil Organization, who wrote that using only the larger of the two WI:FO figures assumes wasting any unused oil that would have resulted from processing wild fish to make fishmeal.  Kona’s situation shows the WI:FO calculation method has a flaw that makes using meal and oil in a certain proportion appear better than using more meal and less oil, or vice-versa.  Kona Blue Seeks to Improve Sustainability Score, Seafood Source.

October 13, 2009

• DRASTIC ALTERNATIVES CONTEMPLATED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ESCAPED AQUACULTURE EXOTIC: The Asian Carp is a huge threat to the great lakes, and scientists who are dissatisfied with the current solutions are now talking about poisoning the fish as a way to control their populations.  The Asian Carp is a fish that has gotten a lot of press lately in Illinois. Escaping from aquaculture farms in the south around 20 years ago, the Bighead and Silver Asian carp swam their way up the Mississippi River to the Illinois River, and now threaten to use our shipping canals to gain access to Lake Michigan.  Drastic Alternatives Contemplated in the Fight Against Asian Carp, The Examiner.