A handful of politicians are distorting science to protect a narrow special interest. We can’t let them.
Driven by commercial fishing interests in a handful of districts, Congress is considering legislation that claims to be about protecting wild fisheries and the environment. But the truth is closer to the opposite. The bill, H.R. 273, would prohibit the shipment, transportation, offer, sale or purchase of our product in interstate or foreign commerce, ostensibly to “prevent the escape of genetically altered salmon in the U.S.” In reality it would exacerbate the same circumstances that put wild salmon populations at risk, and block the kind of science-driven innovations that are key to reversing decades of natural resource exhaustion. Here’s what you need to know.
H.R. 273 supporters say it is about protecting the environment. Really, it’s about protecting legacy fishing businesses. Here’s how you can tell: It targets just one company, ours, since we are the only company to have received approval from U.S. FDA to produce bioengineered salmon. The authors of the bill admitted as much during hearings and debate, mentioning our product specifically, and making clear they want to do what they can legislatively to give preference and protection to the salmon industries in their states. That’s because our product delivers quality salmon to North American plates without adding pressure to the world’s fisheries and ocean ecosystems, and without sacrificing on sustainability, nutrition, taste, or cost.
H.R. 273 creates new, redundant regulations where extensive existing federal guidelines already exist, with the goal of protecting legacy commercial fishing interests in just a few important political constituencies, at the expense of creating confusion and conflicts in the law, and of stifling the innovative startups that could offer the next technological breakthrough to feed more people, more sustainably. Our products aim to augment, not replace, existing supplies of wild and farmed-raised salmon and diversify the supply chain. This will make the U.S. food supply more resilient in the face of natural disasters and other disruptions that we have experienced over the past year.
H.R. 273 capitalizes on fears that the bioengineered salmon we raise presents a biological threat to wild salmon fisheries. That’s false. The reality is that our product represents a competitive threat. Unlike much farmed salmon, ours is raised on land-based systems, with multiple barriers and protections between our farms and natural waterways. At an even more basic level, each egg is pressure treated before it leaves the farm to prevent reproduction with wild salmon populations. That’s why in 25 plus years raising them, there is no evidence that it has ever happened.
H.R. 273 is relying on the well-intentioned support of environmentalists and conservationists who know that traditional farmed salmon, raised inside pens in natural waterways, comes with significant environmental challenges. If it isn’t done responsibly, it can degrade habitat and introduce contaminants. But the entire motivation behind our way of doing things was to address these problems. Far from taxing natural habitat, our product takes pressure off wild salmon fisheries, allowing nature to regenerate and heal.
H.R. 273 instead is driven by an unnatural alliance between ostensibly pro-free-market members and niche activist groups far outside the environmental mainstream and the scientific consensus. You can learn more about their irresponsible and anti-science positions here. [LINK] Instead of championing a homegrown company that’s providing healthy food to Americans, insulating supply chains from global shocks, and strengthening our leadership in a vital sector, these few politicians are instead embracing a narrow protectionism that will have the wider effect of making America less competitive in the global marketplace.
H.R. 273 isn’t a bill about the future, it’s a bill about the past. Through our understanding of biology and genetics, we can forge a more resilient planet, provide an innovative solution to help combat climate change, and promote a healthier society. Biotech innovation nurtures domestic economic growth, provides food security, and minimizes our reliance on foreign supplies.
Our goal is not to put anyone out of business, or do anything to harm the wild-caught salmon industry in the U.S. or anywhere else. In fact, our goal is to diversify the U.S. fishing industry and compete fairly in the marketplace. We’re committed to doing everything we can to make sure lawmakers, consumers, experts, and the press know the truth about our product, and the motives behind efforts to legislate it out of existence. There’s too much at stake to let bad science and bad-faith politics win.