Bill > S1255

This bill requires the Secretary of the Interior to reissue a specific regulation (called a "depredation order") that allows aquaculture facility owners to take (remove or control) double-crested cormorants, which can cause significant damage to fish farms. The original 2016 depredation order was limited to certain states, but this bill expands its coverage to include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Additionally, the bill broadens the scope of who can use the depredation order to include lake managers and pond managers who are licensed by state regulatory agencies. The Secretary must reissue this regulation within one year of the bill's enactment, maintaining the same terms and conditions as the original 2016 order but with the expanded geographic and operational coverage. The bill aims to provide more comprehensive protection for aquaculture and private lake/pond managers against cormorant-related damages by standardizing and extending the existing wildlife management regulations.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1255/all-info