Should Genetically Modified Salmon be Called ‘Salmon’ at all?

On the radio recently, I heard a DJ disparage Atlantic farmed salmon, saying it shouldn’t even be called salmon. I agree, the stuff is mush.

I’ve been thinking the same thing about the genetically modified salmon, approved last month by the federal Food and Drug Administration. Sometimes called “Frankenfish,” these fish are genetically engineered to grow fast and big, but can be sold as regular salmon even though they are something nature has never produced outside a lab. And they will not require a “GM” label. But should they be called “salmon” at all? This is the first time a GM animal has been okayed for human consumption.

The fish “species” does have a name, the poetic AquAdvantage, will be produced by a company called AquaBounty Technologies on inland farms and the fish’s advocates pledge there is no danger that they will be released into the wild or be able to breed there. But Northwest fishermen aren’t calmed by such assurances. The fish pose many risks. One is that they might hurt the market for real, wild salmon, which are a huge part of our region’s ecosystem. It is unlikely in the short term that they could make it to our region and contaminate wild stocks, but that can’t be discounted for the long-term. It could also place too much salmon production under corporate control at the expense of tribes, independent fishers, and the maritime industry.

GM salmon could trigger new potential threats to environmental restoration and protection of the systems that need to be healthy for wild salmon to flourish. Eating this stuff might be an act that leads to further killing off the Northwest’s salmon—which we are working hard to bring back—not to mention other species which depend on them, like orcas.

Raising objections are the Northwest’s tribes. The Muckleshoots and the Quinaults have been vocal about their objections, and the Affiliated Tribes of the Northwest has warned “Genetically engineered salmon not only threaten our way of life, but could also adversely affect our treaty rights to take fish at our usual and accustomed places.”

Many major retailers, including Costco, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, have said they will not sell the fish. My approach is to make sure that the only salmon I eat is real, wild-caught salmon—which is pretty much what I do anyway. Now I will have to be even more vigilant. No more eating salmon at banquets, no more smoked salmon in appetizers unless I know the source. I might have to interrogate hosts at backyard barbecues. It’ll be yet another dietary complication for potlucks where we already navigate the needs of the gluten-free, the vegans, the no-sugars, and the lactose intolerant.

In this case, there is a lot more at stake than my taste buds.