[Welcome to Conference 4 (on the fishery sector) of the FAO Electronic Forum
on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture !!
Thanks to Dr. Hans Magnus Gjøen, Norway, for this first message which deals
with the question of whether transgenic technologies in the fishery sector
would only be justified if they are directed towards solving hunger problems
in developing countries.
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We hope that the conference will be interesting, constructive and
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I have noted that there has been no initiating messages so far at conference 4 of Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture: How appropriate are currently available biotechnologies for the fishery sector in developing countries? This is surely not reflecting the true concern and importance of this topic among aquaculturists and people in general. I thus would like to try to start of the discussion on the topic of use of gene transfer techniques in aquaculture:
Lately, many milestones and results have been reached within the area of gene transfer in aquatic animals. Particular interest has been shown to the growth enhancing effect of introducing genes coding for growth hormone, either from other species, or duplicates or modified copies of genes originating from the same species. It seems like these techniques have not been well received in the western world - in fact, even the use of gene-modified plants have recently faced increased scepticism. We all know however that there will always be someone pushing on to use new technology, almost at any ethical cost.
In the western world, the introduction of GMOs is therefore first done within an area where it is tough to argue against the use of it: within the health care. Consequently, a question was raised during a press conference at the EAS/WAS Aqua 2000 conference in Nice [held 2-6 May, organised by the European Aquaculture Society and the World Aquaculture Society...Moderator], asking the assembled panel "if there was a scope for transgenic fish or shellfish to be produced in 'poor' countries which badly needed food and whose consumers were not so GMO-conscious". Mr David Barclay [I assume this is an error and should be Dr. Devin Bartley...Moderator], from the UN FAO noted that transgenics cost a lot to develop initially and wouldn't be economically viable at first. "For it to be accepted by consumer, it must be to his advantage. Transgenic technology is quite well accepted in medicine because it is the sick people that are seen to benefit, not the pharmaceutical companies. The same would need to apply to fish." (Quoted from IntraFish ( http://www.intrafish.com/engelsk/article.php3?ID=6518 ).
Does Dr. Barclay's reply, or this general view, imply that only if someone is sick enough in the western world (where its harder to find anyone starving) or hungry enough in the developing countries, any of these transgenic techniques would justify their use?
Dr. Hans Magnus Gjøen,
Director of R&D, Quantitative Genetics and Breeding
GenoMar
Oslo Research Park
Gaustadallèen 21
N-0349 OSLO, Norway
Tel: +47 22 95 88 75
Fax: +47 22 56 53 90
Mobile: +47 93 02 43 04
E-mail: hans.magnus.gjoen@GenoMar.com
Web: http://www.GenoMar.com
[To contribute to this conference, send your message to biotech-room4@mailserv.fao.org For further information on the Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture see http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp ]
-----Original Message-----
From: Biotech-Mod4
Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2000 12:10 PM
To: 'biotech-room4@mailserv.fao.org'
Subject: Transgenic fish - Chile
[Thanks to Ashie Norris who raises some very interesting points in this message...Moderator]
Here are some general comments I have regarding biotech in aquaculture in developing countries. I'd be interested to see what other people think.
On a recent visit to Chile I got the impression that farmers were very sensitive to the subject of transgenic salmon. There have been a number of approaches made to the Chilean industry regarding the potential farming of growth hormone transgenic salmon in Chile. There are a number of reasons why such an approach might have been made to fish farmers in Chile.
Firstly, Chile are now the second largest producers of farmed salmon in the world and as such represent a potentially huge market for this technology. Secondly, there would probably be less national opposition to the farming of transgenic fish in Chile then there would be in the other major salmon farming countries of Europe/North America/New Zealand. There is a feeling among some Chileans, which may or may not be justified, that there is an attempt to introduce fish, whose farming is at present unacceptable to Western countries, to be farmed in Chile.
The salmon farming industry in Chile is mostly now owned by large international companies who are well aware of the risks/benefits from such technology. I wonder to what extent in other developing (and less developed that Chile) countries we are prepared to see the introduction of transgenic fish simply because it is acceptable in that country at the time without even considering risk assessment for such introductions. There are many countries in need of practical help and advice in developing good aquaculture breeding and husbandry practices which would benefit their programs greatly.
Very likely in the next five years or so we will see the commercial production of transgenic fish for consumption (as opposed to the production of broodstock). What should the role of developed countries be, if any, in monitoring and assessing the farming of transgenics in developing countries?
Ashie Norris
Department of Genetics
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin 2
Ireland
Ph: 353-1-6083521
Fax: 353-1-6798558
email: anorris@tcd.ie
[To contribute to this conference, send your message to biotech-room4@mailserv.fao.org For further information on the Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture see http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp ]