ASIH resolution on transgenic salmonids

American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) 11may01

Thanks to NLP Wessex for this file [Resolution below]

Sent: Friday, May 11, 2001 9:34 AM
From: Gerald Smith <grsmith@umich.edu Subject: Resolution on transgenic salmonids
To: Dr.Joseph A. Levitt, Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Dr. Bernard Schwetz, Acting Deputy Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration

Dear Drs. Schwetz and Dr. Levitt:

I am writing on behalf of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, a professional society of over 2000 members concerned with the study and conservation of fish, amphibians and reptiles, to express our support for a moratorium on genetic alteration of salmon. The ASIH passed a resolution at its 2000 annual meeting favoring the moratorium. Subsequent actions by its Environmental Quality Committee unanimously supported a draft resolution joining the Atlantic Salmon Federation, Trout Unlimited, and Conservation Law Foundation in calling for a moratorium on new aquaculture operations pending review of their environmental impacts following the escape of aquaculture fish during a winter storm along the North Atlantic Coast.

It is the consensus of the Committee that the ecological impacts of the aquaculture and inevitable escape (Shelton and Smitherman, 1984) of transgenic salmon are poorly understood and that the commercial development of these fish should be secondary to the conservation of wild Atlantic salmon stocks (Muir and Howard 1999).

Sincerely,

Gene S. Helfman, Chair Environmental Quality Committee American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

References: William L. Shelton and R. Oneal Smitherman, 1984. Exotic fishes in warmwater aquaculture. in Courtenay and Stauffer, eds.

William M. Muir and Richard D. Howard. 1999. Possible ecological risks of transgenic organism release when transgenes affect mating success: Sexual selection and the Trojan gene hypothesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

ASIH resolution on transgenic salmonids:

Whereas current research indicates the presence of reduced fitness and abnormalities in salmon into which non-salmonid genes have been introduced (transgenic salmon), and

Whereas a high incidence of escape of cage-reared salmonids is well documented, and

Whereas salmonids that are altered to contain extra copies of growth hormone genes and other genes are a threat to natural populations through genetic pollution, leading to depressed fitness, and

Whereas transgenic salmon also represent potential predators and competitors with negative effects on native fishes, many of which are threatened or endangered,

Therefore be it resolved that the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists petitions the United States Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, and appropriate state agencies, as well as Canadian Federal and Provincial agencies, to establish a system for oversight and responsibility to regulate development of transgenic fishes.

The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists strongly favors a moratorium on creation or marketing of transgenic salmonids until it is firmly established that such fish will not gain access to natural waters, by accident or intent.

Be it also resolved that we recognize clearly problems of world hunger and the need to work toward solutions to food shortages, but evidence indicates that transgenic salmonids are neither an effective nor ecologically safe solution to these problems. Therefore, we also suggest that adequate research funds be directed toward sustainability of aquatic ecosystems as an investment toward solution to these problems.

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." George W. Bush Saginaw, MI, Sept. 29, 2000