Sponsors (3)
The bill devolves cormorant control to State and Tribal authorities to protect fisheries and public water uses through localized, data-informed actions, but does so at the risk of inconsistent protections, added administrative burden, reduced wildlife-tourism value, and potential harms to non-target or protected species.
Commercial and recreational fishers and the communities that rely on them will face reduced cormorant predation on fish stocks because State and Tribal agencies gain authority to manage local cormorant populations.
Rural communities, local governments, and recreationists will see management decisions guided by fresh data because the bill requires regular (every-5-year) cormorant population surveys to support sustainable, adaptive management.
Residents and local governments that use public waters will benefit from safeguards because management frameworks must account for effects on water quality and human health when authorizing cormorant actions.
Tribal residents and state governments (and protected species) face ecological and legal risks because actions to reduce cormorants could inadvertently harm non-target migratory or ESA-listed species if not carefully implemented.
State and Tribal governments and federal wildlife managers will face increased administrative burden and potentially inconsistent protections across regions because the bill expands State/Tribal authority to take cormorants.
Rural communities and wildlife-tourism businesses could lose revenue and recreational value because authorized take of cormorants may reduce birdwatching and other wildlife-watching opportunities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires Interior to create regional management frameworks and five‑year population surveys to regulate taking of double‑crested cormorants, specifying methods, actors, timelines, and environmental considerations.
Requires the Interior Department, through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and working with Regional Flyway Councils, to create regional management plans for taking double‑crested cormorants. Plans must be completed within 180 days, identify who may take birds and when/methods allowed, protect sustainable breeding populations consistent with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and account for effects on fisheries, vegetation, other birds, human health, water quality, and endangered species. The law also requires population surveys and five‑year reviews and updates of the management frameworks.
Introduced April 2, 2026 by Tim Walberg · Last progress April 2, 2026