URL: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Engineered-Fish.html

Date accessed: 15 May 2001

WASHINGTON (AP) - A group opposed to biotech foods said Wednesday it is petitioning the government to place a moratorium on genetically engineered fish.

The move was announced by the Center for Food Safety, which said it was leading a coalition of consumer and environmental groups in the effort.

"FDA is not considering the food safety and environmental risks that these animals may pose," said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the center.

The Food and Drug Administration declined immediate comment on the petition, saying it had not yet been received.

The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine regulates animal biotechnology products. To date, no transgenic animals have been approved for use as human food.

While no transgenic fish have been approved, at least one application, for a variety of salmon, is under review. Various transgenic species of salmon, tilapia, channel catfish and others are being investigated worldwide.

Biotech varieties of corn and soybeans are already in use.

Last fall, the biotech industry was embarrassed when a type of genetically engineered corn that wasn't approved for human consumption was found in taco shells.

And, in April the state of Maryland banned the raising of genetically modified fish unless they are in ponds or lakes that do not connect to other state waterways.

Genetic engineering in agriculture involves splicing a gene from one organism into a different plant or animal to confer certain traits, such as cold tolerance in fish that traditionally live in warm waters.

Category: 29 GMOs