Cormorant Relief Act of 2025

This bill tells the Interior Department to bring back and update a federal rule that allows controlled removal of double‑crested cormorants at fish farms and certain private waters. It expands who can use the rule to include licensed lake and pond managers, adds more states, simplifies the rules, modernizes recordkeeping, and removes an old 2014 end date. The agency must review and renew the rule at least every five years. It does not override major environmental or migratory bird protection laws.

Key points

• Who is affected: Fish farmers, licensed lake managers, and licensed pond managers in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, plus any other state or U.S. territory the agency decides is appropriate.
• What changes: The earlier rule is brought back based on the 2016 version, expanded to more people and places, terms are updated, paperwork is modernized, and the June 30, 2014 expiration is removed.
• When: Once reissued, the rule must be renewed at least every five years, and existing environmental and bird protections still apply.