02/28/2017 10:00 AM House FISHERIES

             HJR 12-OPPOSING GEN ENGINEERED SALMON                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
10:03:32 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES announced that the  first order of business would be                                                               
HOUSE JOINT  RESOLUTION NO. 12,  Opposing the United  States Food                                                               
and  Drug Administration's  approval  of AquaBounty  AquAdvantage                                                               
genetically  engineered  salmon;  and urging  the  United  States                                                               
Congress to enact legislation  that requires prominently labeling                                                               
genetically  engineered  products  with  the  words  "Genetically                                                               
Modified" on the product's packaging.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:03:47 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR, as prime sponsor  of HJR 12, began by saying                                                               
the  proposed resolution  would  support efforts  by Alaska  U.S.                                                               
Senator  Lisa  Murkowski at  the  federal  level.   She  began  a                                                               
PowerPoint presentation  and referred  to Slide 2,  entitled "Why                                                               
the need  for HJR  12?"   She stated that  in November  2015, the                                                               
U.S.  Food  and  Drug Administration  (FDA)  allowed  genetically                                                               
modified (GM)  salmon, which is  the first  time a GM  animal has                                                               
been approved for  human consumption.  She expressed  that she is                                                               
strongly opposed to  this.  The approval process used  by the FDA                                                               
was the "veterinary drug" approval  process.  She maintained that                                                               
since the  product is for  human consumption, it  is questionable                                                               
whether the  veterinary drug approval process  is the appropriate                                                               
process for  considering this use  of technology.   She mentioned                                                               
that traditionally  a different regulatory route  would have been                                                               
utilized.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
10:03:59 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR turned  to  Slide 3,  entitled  "What is  GM                                                               
salmon?"   She explained that the  GM salmon approved by  the FDA                                                               
is produced  by adding the  deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)  from two                                                               
different species  of fish  to Atlantic  salmon.   She identified                                                               
the two fish as follows:  the  ocean pout, shown on the left side                                                               
of the slide,  is an eel-like fish that  offers continuous growth                                                               
due to its  natural life cycle; and the Chinook  salmon, shown on                                                               
the right, is  selected for its size.  Consequently,  the GM fish                                                               
grows bigger and faster.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR turned  to Slide  4, entitled  "How does  it                                                               
work?" to illustrate the different growth  rates.  The goal is to                                                               
produce a salmon that grows to full size twice as fast.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR  moved  on  to Slide  5,  entitled  "Why  GM                                                               
Salmon?"  She cited statements on  the website of the company who                                                               
proposed GM salmon, AquaBounty, to  point out that the actions of                                                               
the  company were  "never really  about sustainability;  this has                                                               
always just been  about profit."  She relayed  the information on                                                               
the website,  which read [original  punctuation provided]:   "The                                                               
innovative  faster  growing   AquAdvantage  Salmon,  which  would                                                               
shorten  production cycles  by half  and drastically  reduce feed                                                               
costs, could  finally make  land-based fish  farming economically                                                               
viable."    She commented  that  "we  have  to question  ...  the                                                               
difference between  what's healthy  for an ecosystem  versus what                                                               
is an economic opportunity."                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
10:06:47 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR referred  to Slides  6 and  7 to  illustrate                                                               
Alaskan salmon.   She  moved on  to Slide  8, which  portrays the                                                               
production  environment  of  GM  salmon:    it  is  grown  in  an                                                               
industrial warehouse  setting with  land-based pens.   She stated                                                               
that  the  proposal  from AquAdvantage  includes  making  the  GM                                                               
salmon  fish  eggs  on  Prince Edward  Island  (PEI)  in  Canada;                                                               
growing them  to size in  Panama; and  shipping the fish  back to                                                               
the  U.S.  for  market.     She  asserted  that  three  different                                                               
countries are involved because of  opposition [to GM salmon] from                                                               
other countries and the United States.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR  referred  to Slide  9,  entitled  "Concerns                                                               
about  GM salmon,"  and listed  the  concerns:   threats to  wild                                                               
salmon, risks  to human  health, and risk  to the  state economy.                                                               
She turned  to Slide  10, entitled "Threat  to Wild  Salmon," and                                                               
relayed that escapement  is always an issue.   She mentioned that                                                               
the Alaska  Department of  Fish &  Game (ADF&G)  solicits reports                                                               
from  fisherman who  have  caught farmed  salmon,  and she  added                                                               
there have been many such reports.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR  referred to  the  map  on  Slide 11.    She                                                               
relayed that  she was  invited by  residents of  PEI to  the site                                                               
where the AquaBounty  eggs would be produced;  the residents were                                                               
concerned about the  negative effects of being known  as the home                                                               
of the  "Frankenfish."  She said  the AquaBounty site was  on the                                                               
bay leading  to the St.  Lawrence Seaway  and on to  the Atlantic                                                               
Ocean.  She  maintained that there are  concerns about escapement                                                               
at that location, because of its proximity to a water body.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR turned  to Slide  12 showing  photographs of                                                               
her  visit:   the AquaBounty  facility, which  appears to  be low                                                               
technology ("low-tech"); meeting  with the Premier of  PEI to ask                                                               
his  opinion  of  the  proposal; and  local  residents  who  have                                                               
expressed opposition to the proposal.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:09:36 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR  moved on  to Slide  13, entitled  "Threat to                                                               
Wild  Salmon," and  relayed the  threats:   GM salmon  can spread                                                               
disease; GM  salmon are more  aggressive and can  outcompete wild                                                               
salmon;  and GM  salmon  can cross  breed with  wild  fish.   She                                                               
continued with  Slide 14, which displayed  screenshots of several                                                               
articles on the results of scientific  studies on GM salmon.  She                                                               
referred to  the headline,  "GM salmon can  breed with  trout and                                                               
harm ecosystem,"  and explained  that scientists learned  that GM                                                               
salmon can breed  with trout, and the new fish  which results can                                                               
outcompete both the  GM salmon and the wild relative.   She added                                                               
that  the new,  more aggressive  fish could  be very  damaging to                                                               
natural ecosystems.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR  continued with Slide 15,  entitled "Risks to                                                               
Human  Health."   She mentioned  that no  long-term studies  have                                                               
been conducted on  the safety of human consumption  of GM salmon.                                                               
Since the FDA  used the veterinary drug approval  process, it was                                                               
not  necessary   for  it   to  consider   the  safety   of  human                                                               
consumption.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR  referred to  Slide  16,  entitled "Risk  to                                                               
State's  Economy," and  reminded  the committee  of the  dramatic                                                               
drop in the price of Alaskan  wild salmon when farmed salmon came                                                               
onto  the   market.    The   state  responded  by   creating  the                                                               
Alaska   Seafood  Marketing   Institute   (ASMI)  and   investing                                                               
tremendously in branding  Alaska's wild salmon.   She stated that                                                               
the state's  marketing efforts have been  very successful; Alaska                                                               
wild salmon  is a  widely recognized  brand; and  people consider                                                               
Alaska  wild salmon  to  be a  healthy source  of  protein.   She                                                               
declared, "That creates a lot of  value."  She added that another                                                               
economic  risk is  the risk  to Alaskan  jobs, since  the seafood                                                               
industry is the largest private  sector employer with over 70,000                                                               
jobs.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:11:56 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR  stated  that  Alaskans  are  not  alone  in                                                               
opposing GM  salmon and named  the various sources  of opposition                                                               
listed on Slide 17:   Alaska's congressional delegation oppose GM                                                               
salmon;  Senator  Murkowski  has  been   a  leader  and  will  be                                                               
introducing additional  legislation on this matter;  more than 40                                                               
members  of the  U.S. Congress  oppose GM  salmon; more  than 1.5                                                               
million comments opposing  GM salmon were received by  the FDA in                                                               
the comment  period; more  than 90  percent of  Americans support                                                               
labeling of  GM foods reflecting  greater public interest  in the                                                               
source and healthfulness of food;  and 65 retailers, many of them                                                               
major, will not sell GM salmon.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   TARR  referred   to  Slide   18,  "International                                                               
Opposition," to  report that there  have been  lawsuits regarding                                                               
GM  salmon;  there is  concern  for  the  damage to  wild  salmon                                                               
populations on  the East Coast of  the U.S.; and there  have been                                                               
dam removal  projects on the  West Coast  of the U.S.  to restore                                                               
traditional fish  passage areas.   She concluded that  people are                                                               
working hard to support and sustain wild salmon populations.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
10:14:01 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
The committee took a brief at-ease at 10:14 a.m.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
10:14:26 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR  referred to  Slide 19, entitled  "US Lawsuit                                                               
filed March  31."  She  mentioned the various groups  and efforts                                                               
opposing  GM foods  and imposing  regulations, especially  on the                                                               
West  Coast:    legislators; Pacific  NorthWest  Economic  Region                                                               
(PNWER); ballot  initiatives in  Canada, Washington,  and Oregon;                                                               
and  local ordinances  opposing GM  foods.   She  relayed that  a                                                               
lawsuit  was  filed in  the  United  States  in March  2016;  the                                                               
lawsuit  went  to  court  on  Election  Day  last  year;  and  no                                                               
judgement has been  issued yet.  The lawsuit  claims the approval                                                               
process was not  adequate in considering GM salmon  a food source                                                               
for humans,  and there are unanswered  questions about ecological                                                               
impacts.   She  asserted that  since  salmon is  so important  to                                                               
Alaska - to  its culture, its tradition, its  communities, and to                                                               
the health of Alaskans - "we  should stand together as we have in                                                               
the past  and say  'No' and  stand together  in opposition  of GM                                                               
salmon."                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
10:16:00 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE CHENAULT  asked if HJR  12 addresses only  GM fish                                                               
and no other products.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR replied, "Yes, that is correct."                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CHENAULT  relayed  that the  proposed  resolution                                                               
states that  more than two  million Americans are opposed  to the                                                               
FDA approval  [of GM salmon].   He mentioned  that Representative                                                               
Tarr  testified  that  about 1.5  million  people  had  submitted                                                               
testimony during the FDA comment period.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR  explained that  one of the  numbers reflects                                                               
the  individual  comments  received,  and a  single  comment  may                                                               
represent many signatures on a petition.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   CHENAULT   asked   for   confirmation   of   his                                                               
understanding of the GM salmon  production process:  the eggs are                                                               
incubated on PEI, then moved to Panama for rearing.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR  answered, "That is the  proposal that's been                                                               
approved.   It requires  the three  countries' involvement:   the                                                               
eggs in one  location; the growing the fish in  Panama; and then,                                                               
for sale in the United States."                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
10:18:02 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CHENAULT asked  for more  clarification regarding                                                               
the danger a [fish] egg poses.   He mentioned that the discussion                                                               
has addressed concern  for the eggs growing into  bigger fish and                                                               
destroying what is  left of the [wild] Atlantic salmon.   He said                                                               
eggs are  not usually released into  the wild and grown,  thus he                                                               
questioned  the concern  about  the facility  being  on PEI,  the                                                               
movement of eggs to Panama, and  the shipment of the fish back to                                                               
the U.S.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR replied that the  concern is that the process                                                               
includes  early stage  development,  and there  is opposition  to                                                               
interbreeding  with wild  [salmon] populations.   She  maintained                                                               
that there  is concern that Panama  environmental standards would                                                               
not  be the  same  as those  in  the  U.S.   She  asked, "Is  the                                                               
likelihood of escapement low?"   She attested that it probably is                                                               
low because of the [prevention] measures  put in place.  She said                                                               
she  didn't want  to suggest  negligence on  the part  of Panama;                                                               
however,  she maintained  that the  threat is  real.   She stated                                                               
that the McGill [University] study  that she referred to on Slide                                                               
14  [Oke   KB,  Westley  PAH,   Moreau  DTR,  Fleming   IA.  2013                                                               
Hybridization  between genetically  modified Atlantic  salmon and                                                               
wild  brown trout  reveal  novel  ecological interactions.  Proc.                                                               
Royal  Society B]  was published  just after  the closing  of the                                                               
comment period for  the proposal.  She relayed that  she wrote to                                                               
the  FDA asking  that it  consider this  recent research  report.                                                               
She  asserted  that  the  dynamic  of  the  conversation  on  the                                                               
proposal   changed  once   there   was   research  showing   that                                                               
interbreeding occurred, and that interbreeding was problematic.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
10:20:14 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  EASTMAN  asked  if  the  sponsor  would  consider                                                               
adding "salmon"  after the word  "engineered" on line 3,  page 1,                                                               
of the  resolution.   He stated that  the resulting  phrase would                                                               
read,  "urging the  United States  Congress to  enact legislation                                                               
that requires prominently  labeling genetically engineered salmon                                                               
products".   He  maintained that  "GM products"  is difficult  to                                                               
define; if the  resolution was limited to salmon,  it may receive                                                               
more support.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE TARR  responded that is a  great suggestion, which                                                               
had been considered.  She  explained that the proposed resolution                                                               
reflects the  broader labeling  legislation efforts  by Congress;                                                               
however,  since  the  intent  of Alaska's  resolution  is  to  be                                                               
specific to  salmon, she  said she  did not  have a  problem with                                                               
limiting the resolution to salmon.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  EASTMAN asked  for  more  information about  what                                                               
happens  if a  fertilized salmon  egg escapes  the PEI  facility:                                                               
Would the  salmon egg grow  naturally and  result in a  salmon or                                                               
would that be less likely due to the genetic engineering?                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR  responded  that  the way  the  proposal  is                                                               
written, it is specific to certain  life stages, and that is what                                                               
has been  approved by the FDA.   She added that  the PEI facility                                                               
has more than  just the eggs that  will be used for  the GM fish,                                                               
which is  the concern of  the local  residents.  She  stated that                                                               
AquaBounty  has  proposals  for   several  other  species.    She                                                               
maintained that there is a lack  of confidence in their work, and                                                               
the  people  she  contacted  want  to  take  every  precautionary                                                               
measure.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
10:23:52 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE EASTMAN  opined that  based on the  public concern                                                               
for  the proposal,  placing the  facility near  a water  body was                                                               
particularly  unreceptive to  that concern.   He  maintained that                                                               
there are more appropriate locations.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   TARR  said   that   she   totally  agrees   with                                                               
Representative Eastman.   She stated  that AquaBounty was  at one                                                               
time based in Massachusetts and  wanted to locate the facility in                                                               
that state.  She relayed  that the local community refused, which                                                               
lead to the  company changing locations.  She  opined that having                                                               
three countries  involved in  the production  of a  product makes                                                               
regulation more challenging and  the public less comfortable with                                                               
the process.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
10:25:03 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  EASTMAN moved  to adopt  Conceptual Amendment  1,                                                               
which would  be to  limit the proposed  resolution to  GM salmon.                                                               
He  opined  that due  to  the  many definitions  of  "genetically                                                               
engineered," it would be subject to additional criticism.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
10:25:23 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STUTES objected for the purpose of discussion.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  TARR declared  that  she is  not  opposed to  the                                                               
offered conceptual  amendment.   She suggested that  the proposed                                                               
resolution  specify  "genetically  engineered  salmon  or  salmon                                                               
products".                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  EASTMAN  said  he concurred  with  Representative                                                               
Tarr's suggestion.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
10:25:50 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STUTES removed  her objection  to Conceptual  Amendment 1,                                                               
[as  amended].   There  being  no  further objection,  Conceptual                                                               
Amendment 1, as amended, was adopted.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:26:02 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  CHENAULT clarified  that  the committee's  action                                                               
was   the  adoption   of   Representative  Eastman's   conceptual                                                               
amendment,  as  amended  by  Representative  Tarr's  addition  of                                                               
"salmon or salmon products".                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
10:26:24 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STUTES  opened   public  testimony  on  HJR   12.    After                                                               
ascertaining that  there was  no one who  wished to  testify, she                                                               
closed public testimony.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
10:26:44 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS  expressed his appreciation  of the                                                               
action and advocacy on the issue addressed by HJR 12.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:27:29 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE FANSLER  moved to report  HJR 12, as  amended, out                                                               
of   committee   with    individual   recommendations   and   the                                                               
accompanying  fiscal  notes.   There  being  no objection,  CSHJR
(FSH)  was  reported  from  the   House  Special  Committee  on                                                               
Fisheries.