00 CS FOR HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 12(FSH) 01 Opposing the United States Food and Drug Administration's approval of AquaBounty 02 AquAdvantage genetically engineered salmon; and urging the United States Congress to 03 enact legislation that requires prominently labeling genetically engineered salmon and 04 salmon products with the words "Genetically Modified" on the product's packaging. 05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 06 WHEREAS, on November 19, 2015, the United States Food and Drug Administration 07 approved AquaBounty AquAdvantage genetically engineered salmon as safe for human 08 consumption; and 09 WHEREAS the approval is the first time in history that the United States Food and 10 Drug Administration has approved a genetically engineered animal for human consumption; 11 and 12 WHEREAS a large majority of state residents oppose the approval of genetically 13 engineered salmon by the United States Food and Drug Administration; and 14 WHEREAS more than 2,000,000 Americans opposed the United States Food and 15 Drug Administration's approval of genetically engineered salmon in the largest number of 16 comments the United States Food and Drug Administration has ever received on an action; 01 and 02 WHEREAS more than 65 retailers, including Costco, Safeway, and Target, have 03 announced that they have no plans to sell genetically modified salmon; and 04 WHEREAS more than 40 members of the United States Congress have expressed 05 opposition to the approval of AquaBounty AquAdvantage genetically engineered salmon; and 06 WHEREAS the state has bountiful fisheries that provide wild, natural, and sustainable 07 seafood; and 08 WHEREAS the accidental release of transgenic fish into the wild could devastate 09 native fish populations and ecosystems; and 10 WHEREAS a May 2013 McGill University research report detailed findings 11 demonstrating interbreeding between genetically modified salmon and brown trout could 12 occur, suggesting that the potential for similar hybridization between other closely related 13 species could pose risks for wild populations, including wild salmon; and 14 WHEREAS the research demonstrated that transgenic hybrid salmon can outcompete 15 with both wild salmon and genetically modified salmon, making hybridization relevant to risk 16 assessments; and 17 WHEREAS, each year, thousands of salmon escape from open water net pens into the 18 Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, demonstrating that escapement is a serious threat to wild fish 19 populations; and 20 WHEREAS the AquaBounty facility on Prince Edward Island is producing 21 genetically engineered fish eggs and sits adjacent to a water body that is directly connected to 22 the Saint Lawrence Seaway and the Atlantic Ocean; and 23 WHEREAS the proximity of the AquaBounty facility to the Saint Lawrence Seaway 24 and the Atlantic Ocean puts wild Atlantic salmon, which are listed under the Endangered 25 Species Act, at risk; and 26 WHEREAS the long-term human health effects of consuming genetically engineered 27 salmon are unknown; 28 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature opposes the United States Food 29 and Drug Administration's approval of AquaBounty AquAdvantage genetically engineered 30 salmon; and be it 31 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 01 Congress to enact legislation that requires prominently labeling genetically engineered salmon 02 or salmon products, including AquaBounty AquAdvantage genetically engineered salmon, 03 with the words "Genetically Modified" on the product's packaging, as required by state law. 04 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President 05 of the United States; the Honorable Michael R. Pence, Vice President of the United States and 06 President of the U.S. Senate; the United States Secretary of Agriculture; the United States 07 Commissioner of Food and Drugs; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable 08 Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of 09 the Alaska delegation in Congress.