Civilization combined with the industrial revolution has altered the cycle of life dramatically. Land, air and water are all elements that have experienced significant change to wildlife, atmospheric and human conditions. As urban cities expand throughout the globe, man becomes more dependent on corporations, construction, development and manufactured goods in the ultimate form consumption. In order to maintain consumerism, land is being built over using components that smother the Earth. Pouring concrete over a meadow, for example, suffocates both plant and wildlife and welcomes the exhaust of concrete, automobiles, trucks and rubber tires that overall poisons every natural characteristic in that area. Just the heat radiating the hot concrete is enough to warm up the region by many degrees, which is known as the urban heat island effect (UHI). In general, changes spread rapidly around the rich atmosphere of the Earth and in turn affect all the elements throughout the planet.
In regards to the element of water, this essay takes a closer look at the drastic change in the life cycle of salmon and how environmental changes are a major culprit in salmon reproduction. Concrete, contamination, man made metal deposits and development all go hand in hand in the negative effects on how fresh body of water sources becomes contaminated and therefore diminish sea life. Currently, the North American continent has been experiencing a significant decrease in natural and wild salmon; therefore, in order to replenish salmon back into the ecosystem, man and government agencies have created salmon hatcheries. A salmon hatchery is a controlled system to breed salmon. Also introduced as a solution to the decreased population of salmon, is the genetically engineered salmon, another man made solution to the diminishing wild salmon population. For both hatcheries and genetically engineered salmon comes a price of controversy and debate on how these scientific and maybe even unethical practices are tampering with the natural course of life.
Hatcheries
There are salmon hatcheries spawning throughout North America to help replenish the salmon population into the ecosystem. Within a hatchery, fertilization and reproduction is controlled by a man made process using man made supplies and techniques. When the term wild is used, it is referred to an entity in its most natural state, which includes important survival techniques for the purest form of evolution. When life is bred using unnatural processes, survival techniques alter the entity and changes the DNA makeup for an everlasting effect that may not be for the best.
As the civilized world encounters more endangered species; scientists, environmentalists and all people who hold an interest look for answers towards a resolution. However, some of the resolutions are up for debate and are critically analyzed in order for justification and classification into recorded history. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is constantly in commotion to pin point all the legal determinations of wild and man made species. According to the article, Saving Wild Salmon’s Bucket-Born Cousins, both environmentalists and farmers are at war to either protect the salmon or not. Farmer’s need access to the water for irrigation while environmentalists are striving to protect the salmon under the ESA. One of the main heated points on managing the endangerment of salmon is if the hatched salmon and steelhead will also be considered as endangered. Critics went back and forth as to the wild species versus the hatched species and if these two species should be categorized separately. If they were categorized separately, the wild species would be endangered much longer even due to the fact that the salmon population was invigorated due to the hatched species of salmon. After much debate and legal endeavors, as of June 28, 2005, it has been concluded;
“Under this new policy, hatchery stocks determined to be part of a DPS will be considered in determining whether a DPS as threatened or endangered under the ESA, and will be included in any listing of the DPS.”
This determination, whether right or wrong, is the current outcome of the debate as to whether hatched species qualify as the wild species. Man has now, forever put a print on the genetic make up of enough fish found in the Pacific Northwest. The ethics behind these concepts are also up for much and long drawn out debates. Moreover, considering the evolution of modern man, it will be a swim upstream to get nature back to its most raw and purest form. As environmentalists, scientist and government agencies continue to clog up courtrooms and dockets to determine what is right and what is ethical, we as civilized humans must be on the look out to changes of habitat and overall health in the modern world.
Genetically Engineered Salmon
If one would think that operating a salmon hatchery is unethical or stepping over the boundaries of nature’s genetic make-up, than genetically engineered salmon will enthrall and most likely not in a positive way. Genetic engineering has been going on for years but it has come to the point where organizations who are backing, researching and testing genetic engineering are looking for government approval for the purpose of selling to make a profit. In the New York Times article, Study Faults U.S. on Assessing Altered Fish, points out a laboratory, Aqua Bounty Farms, has pursued the ability to become approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This article was published in 2003, so research on whether genetically altering salmon is safe and practical is still being conducted. The salmon that are being modified are specifically designed to grow faster and larger for more convenient and profitable consumption.
A follow up article 12 years later, on November 19, 2015, by the same author, Andrew Polluck, writes that genetically modified salmon has been approved by the FDA. According to the article, salmon is the first genetically modified animal that has been approved fit for consumption by the FDA. Though presently, genetically modified salmon as not entirely hit the seafood departments across the United States, it soon will come and more discoveries on the health and environmental benefits will be researched. With about 80% of America’s processed food containing GMO’s, there is much debate on the health benefits. Though GMO processed food satisfies hunger, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s beneficial to the environment or human health.
One prominent concern by opposing scientists and environmentalists is the possibility of an escape by a genetically modified salmon. Because the genetically modified salmon is larger and grows faster and if in fact it does accidentally spill into the wild, it will out perform wild salmon and diminish the ability for the wild salmon to survive. The possibility that one would escape and interact with a wild salmon may change the course of salmon population profoundly. Environmentalist are skeptical while AquaBounty are assuring environmentalists that they will breed the salmon on land. However, environmentalist, Dana Perls, contradicts that just because AquaBounty conducts genetic modifications of salmon on land, doesn’t mean they are not near a river. What’s even worse is, the new approved policy does not require labeling on whether the salmon is genetically modified or not. Labeling of such modification is voluntary. This means, people who oppose genetically modified salmon could very well be eating it because they are not entitled to know what goes into their bodies. It will be unto the seller to decide whether or not they want to disclose if the fish is modified.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the beast of many nations who are enabling population growth are feeding into a frenzy to be sure humans have everything they need to consume and than some. Most human consumption and habits are really not even out of survival in the modernized world. Plush toilet paper, over use of artificial lights, and genetically modified organisms (GMO) are all in society because of over consumption and least we forget, profit.
Discussion
One very important aspect that man falls very short on is the human being thinks they are in control of everything; therefore, it’s ok to over consume, over populate and genetically modify without truly thinking outside the box and looking at the big picture that these habits may possibly be bad for the planet. Man needs at the planet and sometimes man forgets that.
Bibliography
Heat Island Effect. (n.d.). Retrieved July 14, 2016, from https://www.epa.gov/heat-islands
Landrigan, P. J., & Benbrook, C. (2015). GMOs, Herbicides, and Public Health. New England Journal of Medicine N Engl J Med, 373(8), 693-695. doi:10.1056/nejmp1505660 http:// www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1505660#t=article
Pollack, A. (2003, January 14). Study Faults U.S. on Assessing Altered Fish. Retrieved July 14, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/15/us/study-faults-us-on-assessing-altered- fish.html
Pollack, A. (2015, November 19). Genetically Engineered Salmon Approved for Consumption. Retrieved July 14, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/business/genetically- engineered-salmon-approved-for-consumption.html?_r=0
Rack, J. (2015, June 24). Genetically Modified Salmon: Coming To A River Near You? Retrieved July 14, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/ 2015/06/24/413755699/genetically-modified-salmon-coming-to-a-river-near-you
Verhovek, S. H. (2002, February 4). Saving Wild Salmon’s Bucket-Born Cousins. Retrieved July 14, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/04/us/saving-wild-salmon-s-bucket- born-cousins.html
