Stop the Approval of Genetically Engineered Fish!

The Food and Drug Administration has made the informal decision to regulate transgenic fish under its authority to review new animal drugs. Given the potential toxicity, allergenicity, and aquaculture diseases posed by the commercialization of transgenic fish, CFS is demanding that the FDA adopt a pre-market regulatory review that does not ignore these potential human health safety concerns.

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Subject:

Dear Commissioner,

(Edit Letter Below)

I am writing you to express my serious concerns about the FDA's role in approving the commercial use of transgenic fish.  Given the potential human health and environmental uncertainties posed by genetically engineered fish, I urge you to reject any application seeking the use and marketing of transgenic fish.

I am quite concerned about the potential impacts of these fish upon my health. Genetically engineered fish (GE fish) are new to the human food supply and present unknown risks to human health, including the potential impacts of significantly elevated growth hormone levels in these fish.  The FDA's failure to require toxicological testing for these fish suggests that the agency's review process is favoring the biotech industry and not acting to ensure consumer safety.

Moreover, the commercialization of these genetically engineered fish poses the potential for irreversible damage to the environment. Fish farms throughout history have repeatedly demonstrated that fish kept in ocean and freshwater pens escape from their confinements. There are compelling scientific studies documenting the potential for escaped genetically engineered fish to become invasive species that could cause permanent ecological damage to wild fish stocks as well as the wider marine environment. These new studies have shown that transgenic fish are more aggressive, eat more food, and will attract more mates than wild fish.  The studies also show that although transgenic fish will attract more mates, their offspring will be less fit and less likely to survive.  As a result, scientists predict that transgenic fish may cause some species to become extinct within only a few generations.  When one species becomes extinct, other species will likely be affected. There are already 114 species of fish, including the Atlantic salmon that are listed under the Endangered Species Act. The FDA should not promote the introduction of another threat to our endangered fisheries.

For these reasons, I strongly urge FDA to fully review the significant human health and environmental risks posed by genetically engineered fish. Therefore, the approval of any GE salmon and other GE fish at this time is totally unacceptable! I fully support a moratorium on the commercialization of transgenic fish.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach

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