ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska’s congressional delegation doesn’t want “Frankenfish” – their word for genetically-modified salmon – on the U.S. market.
U.S. Senators Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski and Congressman Don Young joined a handful of other lawmakers Friday in calling for the Food and Drug Administration to quash a company called AquaBounty’s plans to grow the genetically-engineered fish in Panama for importation to the U.S.
According to a press release, the genetically-altered salmon would mature faster than wild stocks.
Lawmakers said they had concerns about what could happen if the genetically-altered fish mixed with wild salmon.
“Recent scientific evidence shows that if genetically-modified salmon escape, they could successfully breed with wild stocks, potentially destroying the adaptations that have allowed fish to thrive for millennia,” Sen. Mark Begich said in a statement.
They also worry that the presence of genetically-modified fish on the market could spook consumers, who might not buy wild Alaskan salmon – one of the state’s most important exports.
