Something's "Fishy" Around Here

Last year I saw a documentary entitled "Food Inc." It was a film exploiting the unknown in the food industry. This experience was extremely eye-opening to me and convinced me to become a proponent of all organic foods. I would urge my mother to buy organic milk and eggs from when she went grocery shopping. After seeing that documentary, I knew the cruel things that farmers did to chickens and cows just to make them produce more at a faster rate. It became so important to me to eat real and healthy foods. I had no idea that even tomatoes were injected with chemicals just to make them grow faster and stay red longer.

 

When I saw this article, it brought back some memories of that enlightening time in my life. The article states that there is an argument rising between the food industry and the FDA over the allowance of growth supplements in salmon. According to the article, scientists have found a way to inject the eggs of salmon with a growth gene in order for them to grow larger and faster. I can see how producers and consumers would like to see this pass. Fishermen would be able to sell their fish at a higher price without having to do extra work, and consumers would think they were getting more for their money. However, is it really worth putting wildlife and ourselves in danger? Food Inc. exploited the meat companies that force extra weight on chickens in order to produce more meat to sell. The chickens gained so much weight that the muscles in their legs were not capable of holding up their heaving bodies. Giving salmon a growth supplement is parallel to the fattening of chickens.  The fish would not be able to adapt to the weight difference. This could eventually lead to difficulty swimming just as the chickens lost their ability to walk. Personally, I would like to think that the food I eat is all natural and has not been injected with growth hormones or other chemicals. I also don't think that the act of toying with genetics is right. Of course, they are just fish and not on the same level as humans, but I don't think science should be altering the God-given genes of salmon. If we start now, it will only get worse over time. Salmon first, people next.