[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1917 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1917
To establish the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 6, 2025
Mrs. Dingell (for herself, Mr. Huizenga, and Mr. Walberg) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act
of 2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the Great Lakes have experienced rapid changes in
recent years due to--
(A) the introduction of multiple aquatic invasive
species;
(B) alterations in the food web; and
(C) decreases in the abundance of prey species;
(2) due to rapid biological change in the Great Lakes, the
Great Lakes need a collaborative, science-based program to
assist in making management actions regarding fish stocking
rates, the rehabilitation of important fish species, and
habitat restoration;
(3) the States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin and Indian Tribes
in those States, working through the Council of Lake Committees
of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, have identified that
mass marking is--
(A) a precise tool to keep hatchery-produced fish
in balance with wild fish; and
(B) essential to achieving fishery management and
research objectives through producing a better
understanding of--
(i) the quantity of hatchery produced fish
compared to wild fish in the Great Lakes;
(ii) the effectiveness of hatchery
operations; and
(iii) the effectiveness of fishery
management actions;
(4) the mass marking program of the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes--
(A) was initiated in 2010 on a limited scale;
(B) annually tags approximately 9,000,000 to
11,000,000 of the hatchery-produced fish stocked in the
Great Lakes;
(C) is a basinwide cooperative effort among the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Indian Tribes,
and State management agencies; and
(D) produces data used by State and Tribal fish
management agencies to make management decisions
regarding Great Lakes fisheries;
(5) annually, Federal, State, and Tribal agencies stock
approximately 21,000,000 hatchery-produced fish in the Great
Lakes to support--
(A) native species recovery; and
(B) recreational and commercial fishing;
(6) mass marking of hatchery-produced fish, using automated
technology, is an efficient method of implementing a
collaborative, science-based fishery program; and
(7) the Great Lakes are an important and valued resource
that--
(A) supports a robust regional economy valued at
more than $7,000,000,000; and
(B) provides stability to the economy of the United
States.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
(2) Program.--The term ``Program'' means the Great Lakes
Mass Marking Program established by section 4(a).
SEC. 4. GREAT LAKES MASS MARKING PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--To assist in determining the effectiveness of
hatchery operations and fisheries management actions and to support
Great Lakes fisheries, there is established within the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service a program for the mass marking of hatchery-
produced fish in the Great Lakes basin, to be known as the ``Great
Lakes Mass Marking Program''.
(b) Authorized Actions.--In carrying out the Program, the Director
may--
(1) purchase capital and expendable equipment, fish tags,
and other items necessary to support and carry out tagging and
tag recovery operations, including data processing and data
dissemination relating to those operations; and
(2) hire additional personnel, as necessary.
(c) Required Collaboration.--In carrying out the Program, the
Director shall collaborate with applicable Federal, State, and Tribal
fish management agencies, the Council of Lake Committees of the Great
Lakes Fishery Commission, and signatories to the Joint Strategic Plan
for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries.
(d) Availability of Data.--The Director shall make the data
collected under the Program available to applicable Federal, State, and
Tribal fish management agencies--
(1) to increase the understanding of the outcomes of
management action;
(2) to assist in meeting the restoration objectives of the
Great Lakes, including the fish community objectives and fish
management plans described in the Joint Strategic Plan for
Management of Great Lakes Fisheries;
(3) to assist in balancing predators and prey;
(4) to support and improve the economic status of Tribal,
recreational, and commercial fisheries; and
(5) to assist in evaluating the effectiveness of habitat
restoration efforts in the Great Lakes.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the Program
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
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