SITKA April 12, 2013: Sea Mart Quality Foods and Market Center will be joining over 2,000 grocery stores across the country in pledging not to sell genetically engineered salmon. Sea Mart Quality Foods and Market Center have been Sitka’s locally owned and operated grocery stores since 1949 and currently do not support farm-raised salmon.
CEO Roger Hames stated, “We support wild Alaskan salmon and the fishermen that catch it. We do not believe in farm-raised salmon when our economy is fed through the fish caught right outside our doors. Genetically engineered salmon is just another type of farmed-fish that will threaten our wild salmon stocks. We will not sell it in our stores.”
Executive Director of Sitka Conservation Society Andrew Thoms said, “We applaud Roger and his management team, and all the other retail stores across the country that recognize there is limit to what will be done for profit and that we need to take care of the environment that surrounds us. Sea Mart and Market Center look out over the rich salmon fishing grounds of Sitka Sound and recognizes that its part of that environment and is doing its part to protect our salmon fisheries.”
The period to comment on the Food and Drug Administration’s environmental assessment finding of no significant impact concerning genetically engineered salmon is April 26th, 2013. Members of the Sitka community will gather at Sea Mart next week to help people submit their comments opposing genetically engineered salmon.
The state of Alaska is also in opposition to genetically engineered salmon, with the passage of numerous bills and resolutions attempting to stop, and at minimum label, the GMO fish. United States Senator Lisa Murkowski, “We come together across thousands of miles because the FDA thinks Frankenfish will have ‘no significant impact’ on the environment. I wholeheartedly disagree with the FDA. I do not believe that a salmon-eel hybrid, genetically modified to grow twice as fast as wild salmon will not have an impact on our environment” she said.
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Thank you, Mr. Roger Hames and the people of Sea Mart for refusing to sell genetically engineered salmon!
We only have until April 26, 2013, to tell the FDA:
No Way To Frankenfish!
Go to www.regulations.gov and search genetically engineered salmon and then click on the “comment now” button.
Thank you!!!