AquaBounty’s behavior isn’t surprising. Their actions follow how Big Food companies operate in the U.S. food system; for-profit and at the cost of people and the environment. It is imperative to put the truth about AquaBounty practices in the light, as the impact of their product is of grave concern for water and wild Salmon - both life-giving elements in river and ocean ecosystems globally. AquaBounty is now at the final stages of getting their new proposed facility in Pioneer, Ohio approved. They plan on pumping 5 million gallons of water a day from the Michindoh Aquifer and dump it in the surrounding watershed. This Aquifer supplies drinking water to communities in three different states (MI, IN, OH). The mayor of Pioneer, Ed Kidston, is also corruptly entangled in this web, abusing the power of his position for personal financial gain. Based on the culture of disregard for worker safety, animal welfare, and the surrounding ecosystem in Indiana, AquaBounty is setting a dangerous precedent for land based aquaculture. This is a major red flag for how industrial aquaculture, whether operating on land or in the sea, can exacerbate the very issues it claims to fix. “Sustainability” or “feeding the world with seafood” is not the industry’s (or AquaBounty’s) end goal. It is all for the sake of profit.
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