Laws, Regulations and Rules
Interestingly, when the FDA was asked to issue a statement regarding GloFish™, they responded by saying that since “tropical aquarium fish are not used food purposes, they pose no threat to the food supply” (www.fda.gov, 2004). They went on to say that the new fluorescing zebra fish pose no more threat to the environment then their natural counterparts (www.fda.gov, 2004). Upon initially reading these statements, one finds it odd that California banned the sale of the florida-grown GloFish™ (www.bbc.com, 2004).
While two public interest groups have called for the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Health and
Human Services
to stop the sales of this “glowing” fish, as of now, the
FDA said it would not get involved (www.bbc.com,
2004). California’s
basis for this ban on this geneically modified fish comes due to ethical
concerns that it is not our right to play god, along with environmental
problems that may arise if the fish were to get into their natural
habitats (www.cnn.com, 2004).
© Copyright 2004 Department of Biology, Davidson
College, Davidson, NC 28035
Send comments, questions, and suggestions to William Wood at wiwood@davidson.edu