1.Jeffrey Smith on genetically engineered salmon
2.Chefs weigh in on genetically modified salmon
3.AquAdvantage GM Salmon Gender Benders

TAKE ACTION ON GM SALMON: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/september062010/ge-salmon-as.php

NOTE: Excellent video interview on GM salmon: http://t.co/Cr1ZXiE
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1.Jeffrey Smith on genetically engineered salmon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCNGRdAq5X8
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2.Chefs weigh in on genetically modified salmon
Laura Canter
Food & Drink Digital, September 10 2010
http://www.foodanddrinkdigital.com/news/andy-arndt/chefs-weigh-genetically-modified-salmon

*Restaurateurs have reservations over serving the modified fish

Producers of genetically modified salmon might have difficulty finding acceptance in restaurants even if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration deems the fish fit for human consumption.

The FDA said a 60-day consultation period will begin Sept. 19 and include a series of public meetings as the agency decides whether to allow the fish to be sold as food. If it wins approval, the fish should be available by 2012.

The salmon was developed by AquaBounty Technologies Inc. of Waltham, Mass., and involved adding genetic material from King salmon to Atlantic salmon, allowing the fish to reach maturity in half the time it takes for typical farm-raised Atlantic salmon. Most farm-raised salmon is Atlantic salmon.

Company material states that the fish is designed to be raised in contained, land-based facilities and that the fish are all sterile females, meaning that even if they escaped from their facilities they would not be able to cross-breed.

However, many restaurant chefs said they would not serve the fish.

Some expressed moral doubts about private companies patenting organisms, some expressed concerns about possible health effects of genetically modified food, and others expressed concern for the environment.

“There is no way I would be interested in serving [genetically modified] salmon,” said Chris Carriker, executive chef of The Gilt Club Restaurant in Portland, Ore. “The eventual damage to the environment would be catastrophic. Scientists say they have sterilized the GMO fish, but eventually one will adapt and destroy the natural process.”

Michael Maddox, chef of Le Titi de Paris in Arlington Heights, Ill., said his customers would not likely approve.

“It sounds kind of weird,” he said of the fish. “We have people ask all the time where the food is from. I think customers want to know where the cheese or the pork or the mushrooms are coming from ”¦ I think with the big green movement over the past couple of years, they'd be against [genetically modified salmon].”

In a poll conducted on Wednesday and Thursday on the NRN blog Food Writer's Diary, 26 out of 32 respondents, or 81 percent, said they would not eat the genetically modified salmon or serve it in their restaurant. Only two respondents said they would try the fish, and four said they might.

"It goes against my principles,” said Andy Arndt, executive chef of Aquariva Restaurant in Portland, Ore. He argued that the practice of genetically engineering fish wouldn't be necessary if fisheries were better regulated.

"I'm not interested in seeing 'genetically altered' anything in my restaurant,” said Antonio Bettencourt, chef-owner of 62 Restaurant & Wine Bar in Salem, Mass. "Local, fresh, honest, farm-to-table as much as possible is our mantra. I think people will pay the extra few cents to make sure they know where the food comes from. Maybe larger chain restaurants will have other thoughts, but that is my feeling."

"I don't think that I would serve any genetically modified salmon at Eve," said Troy Graves, chef at the Chicago restaurant. "I do believe that we need a sustainable way to farm-raise fish because the oceans cannot keep up with human consumption. [But] as soon as the government allows a corporation to patent a method of raising fish, there is a certain stranglehold on the fish supply in the future.”

Jonadab Silva, executive chef and co-owner of Jacky’s on Prairie in Evanston, Ill., argued that genetically modifying salmon was unnecessary.

"My opinion is we are looking at the whole issue in the wrong manner," he said. “Instead of making salmon grow faster, why don't we educate consumers to eat other varieties of fish, rather than just salmon, which is on every menu?"
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3.AquAdvantage GE Salmon Gender Benders
Jill Richardson
La Vida Locavore, September 9 2010
http://www.lavidalocavore.org/diary/3987/aquadvantage-ge-salmon-gender-benders

[go to original page for inset links]

How do you go about creating an all-female population of GE salmon with three sets of chromosomes each (instead of the normal two)? Check THIS out:

The process of creating an all-female triploid (i.e. having 3 complete sets of chromosomes) population of GE salmon begins with female GE salmon and irradiated sperm of Arctic char, another fish species.  The process used to create an all-female population is known as gynogenesis, which is described as follows: "Briefly, irradiated sperm are introduced to eggs, followed by a pressure treatment to result in diploid "twin" offspring. In this case, ABT uses Arctic char milt that has been irradiated so that no Arctic char DNA is present in the gynogen population. In the event that the milt irradiation was not successful, the offspring would be an Arctic char / Atlantic salmon hybrid. These fish are readily identifiable by their differential markings and phenotypic appearance. As such, these hybrid fish can be easily removed without extensive testing."

The remaining all-female population are subjected to "masculinization" using 17-methyltestosterone. The females become "neomales" (genetically female fish that produce milt (sperm) instead of viable eggs). Upon sexual maturity, the neomales are bred with non-GE Atlantic salmon females. Then, fertilized eggs are "subjected to pressure shock treatment," turning them into triploids with two sets of chromosomes from the non-GE female salmon and one set of chromosomes from the neomale GE salmon. These fish, the female triploids, will be commercialized as AquAdvantage salmon. Triploid salmon are incapable of reproduction.

All quotes are taken from the FDA briefing packet released last week. It's 180 pages and great reading if you enjoy very sloppy and dishonest science.