Sponsors (4)
The bill gives private and local fisheries stronger, more certain authority to control cormorants and protects aquaculture production, but it expands lethal control with potential harms to migratory bird populations, local ecosystems, and some oversight safeguards while shifting modest administrative costs to operators.
Lake and pond managers, private aquaculture operators, and other private fisheries can remove or deter double-crested cormorants under an updated, permanent federal depredation order, reducing fish losses and giving operators greater regulatory certainty for planning and operations.
State and local governments and the Fish and Wildlife Service get clarified recordkeeping standards and modernized terminology, which should reduce administrative confusion and make compliance expectations easier to follow.
Expanding eligibility (more States and private lakes/ponds) allows a broader set of private and local water managers to access the depredation order protections, extending benefits beyond federally managed waters.
Rural communities and wildlife enthusiasts face increased lethal control of migratory birds: broader and permanent removal authority could reduce double‑crested cormorant populations, harm birdwatching and related recreation, and produce localized ecosystem effects.
State and local governments and conservation overseers may see weakened procedural protections: simplifying and reducing some compliance provisions relative to other federal law could reduce oversight and safeguards for migratory bird protections.
Private operators and local authorities could face new administrative burdens and costs from updated definitions, recordkeeping, or licensing requirements tied to the order.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Directs the Interior Secretary to reissue and update the federal cormorant depredation order, expand covered states and entities, modernize rules, and require 5‑year renewals.
Reissues and updates the federal depredation order for double‑crested cormorants to restore and extend its protections for aquaculture operators and adds lake and pond managers as covered entities. The updated order will apply in a list of additional States and any other areas the Secretary deems appropriate, modernize language and recordkeeping, simplify compliance relative to other federal law, remove a prior expiration date, and require that the order be renewed at least once every five years. The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior (through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) to carry out these changes while preserving obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and it defines key terms used in the reissued order.
Introduced March 24, 2025 by Mike Ezell · Last progress December 10, 2025