We re not the only ones who think there s something really fishy about how the Obama administration is delaying AquaBounty s application to sell genetically modified salmon.
Writing in The New York Times, Frankenstein s Cat author Emily Anthes notes that the Massachusetts company applied for approval back in 1995 only to be met with endless delays from the Food and Drug Administration, which in December extended the public comment period to April.
We should all be rooting for the agency to do the right thing and approve the AquAdvantage salmon, Anthes writes. It s a healthy and relatively cheap food source that, as global demand for fish increases, can take some pressure off our wild fish stocks. But most important, a rejection will have a chilling effect on biotechnological innovation in this country.
Anthes notes that the scientists behind the Enviropig, a version of swine genetically modified to produce less phosphorus, lost their funding while the FDA and Health Canada dragged their feet on approving the hog and the pigs were euthanized in May.
ACSH s Dr. Ruth Kava says Anthes op-ed is most appreciated. Genetically modified organisms are not going to kill you, they re not going to hurt you and they can even be cute, she says, pointing to the fluorescent GloFish sold as pets.
ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom, showing his pragmatic side, wonders if the GloFish could double as nightlights, thereby cutting down one s carbon footprint and thus global warming. He wonders, Who knows? If this had been done earlier, perhaps Hurricane Sandy might have been avoided.
And if you need even more reassurance, here are a few more reasons you shouldn t be scared of GMOs.