Five British Universities were revealed to be conducting research to develop genetically modified (GM) fish for human consumption, in a report in a Sunday's newspapers.
According to the Independent on Sunday, figures from government departments show they have spent £.6m on research to create fast-growing fish for commercial farming, much of it in Third World countries. A further £57,000 has been spent in Britain by the European Commission. Universities conducting the research include Southampton, Stirling, University of Wales, Aberdeen and Edinburgh (1).
The GM techniques are initially being tried on species popular in Asia, such as carp and tilapia, but are expected to be applied to British fish such as salmon. A range of genetic modifications are being attempted - primarily to increase growth rates by inserting human growth hormone and to make the fish sterile.
Greenpeace criticised the research and is calling for a ban on releases of GE fish.
Charlie Kronick, Greenpeace UK GM Campaigner said,
""We know that these fish cannot be made sterile with 100% accuracy, plus we know that a percentage of farmed fish always escape into the wild ".(2)
He continued,
"GE fish have the potential to cause irreversible damage to wild fish stocks and to the wider marine environment. Even a small number of GE fishes released into the wild can have potentially devastating effects".(3)
"Greenpeace utterly condemns the UK Government's support for GM fish technology. UK consumers have driven GM out of the supermarkets, while fish producers and retailers have recognised GM as an environmental threat and commercial suicide. Yet the UK government is happy to spend taxpayer's money to export this reject technology to the developing world".
A recent survey carried out by Greenpeace UK indicates that fish farmers and retailers are opposed to GM fish because of the environmental risks and fears of rejection by consumers (4).
Greenpeace is running a international campaign calling for governments to commit to GE Free Seas. As part of the campaign, Greenpeace activists last week sealed off a research facility containing genetically engineered (GE) salmon, owned by A/F Protein, in Prince Edward Island, Canada. A/F protein have made an application to the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for permission to commercially produce GE Atlantic Salmon manipulated with an additional gene for growth hormone production and an anti-freeze gene promoter sequence. As a result, instead of only growing during the summer months, the GE salmon grows all year around developing two to three times faster than a normal salmon.
Notes for editors:
(1) Universities involved in research: Source of information - Independent on Sunday 1/4/01 (front page article)
Southampton University is conducting research on:
- Creating disease resistant zebra fish and tilapia - funded by MAFF.
- Creating 'improved reversibly sterile' strains of tilapia - £00,000 project funded by DFID
- Creating fast growing strains of tilapia.
- Research into modifying carp, salmon, zebrafish and goldfish.
The University of Wales in association with Stirling's institute of aquaculture - is conducting research to 'genetically improve' carp, along with scientists from India Bangladesh and Vietnam.
The University of Stirling is involved in creating fast growing strains of tilapia.
Edinburgh University - is conducting research on GM carp, salmon, goldfish and zebra fish.
Aberdeen University- is conducting research on GM carp, salmon, goldfish and zebra fish.
(2) December 2000, 100,000 farm-bred fish escaped from a facility in Maine in the US. Approximately 300,000 fish escaped from a single Washington State fish farm in the summer of 1999. Between 1991 and 1999 over 280,000 fish escaped from fish farms in British Columbia.
(3) This is despite research undertaken at Purdue University in Indiana, USA, which estimated that 60 fertile GE fish introduced into a natural population of 60,000 could annihilate the natural stock in 20-30 years.
(4) Greenpeace has received written statements opposing GM fish from: Scottish Quality Salmon, Shetland Salmon farmers Association, Loch Fyne Ltd., Princes, John west, Safeway, Sainsburys and Tesco.
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace Press Office on 020 7865 8225
