Current controversies
Genetically-engineered salmon
The FDA has declared genetically engineered (GE) salmon safe for human consumption and is set to approve it for commercial production. The transgenic fish from AquaBounty Technologies supposedly grows twice as fast as natural fish. It will not be labeled as a GE product. Learn more about why GE salmon pose a threat to human health and the environment, and take action!
Offshore aquaculture
In September 2009, the Department of Commerce approved implementation of an offshore aquaculture plan that will allow industrial fish farming in public waters.
Congress repeatedly has rejected proposals to permit ocean fish farming. But in January 2009, a federal advisory council voted to allow fish farming in the Gulf of Mexico. Critics say the council has a number of people on it representing the fish farming industry and say the council’s plan is a way to bypass Congress. Critics also say it was passed without legal authority and without adequate environmental safeguards.
The damage from industrial ocean fish farming is largely under the waterline and out of sight, so the industry has been able to get away with pollution that would have closed down comparable dirty land-based operations. Ocean aquaculture pollutes waters with antibiotics, chemicals and waste; threatens biodiversity; and instead of protecting wild fish, actually causes a net loss in protein — since wild fish are being overfished to make feed pellets for farmed fish.
The approved plan sets a precedent for fish farming in all U.S. coastal waters.
Take Action
Food & Water Watch is organizing a campaign to prevent this rule from being implemented. Join us in sending this letter to the NOAA.
For more information about fish farming, see this factsheet listing a dozen reasons to stop ocean fish farming and read PCC’s public policy statements on aquaculture and sustainable seafood.
Bluefin tuna nearing extinction
The Bluefin tuna, prized for sushi, is nearing extinction in the North Atlantic. An international proposal to ban exports of the endangered Bluefin was rejected by a United Nations convention. The United States had supported the proposal, backed by more than 170 other nations. Bluefin are down to just 3 percent of their abundance in 1960, when the longline fishing method fostered overfishing.
Learn more about efforts to protect Bluefin by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Frozen seafood more sustainable?
New research shows that fresh salmon has twice the environmental impact as fresh, indicating that buying frozen seafood is a more sustainable choice. Read Catch of the Freezer, an op-ed by the study's authors.