Cormorant Relief Act of 2025

Cormorant Relief Act of 2025

This bill requires the Department of the Interior to reissue the depredation order for double-crested cormorants at aquaculture facilities in certain states. (The previous order was vacated in 2016 by court order.)

Depredation orders allow for the taking (i.e., capturing, killing, dispersing, or transport of the carcass) of a specified species without a permit, generally to reduce damage caused by the species or to protect interests like health or property. Reissuing this order authorizes landowners, operators, tenants, and employees of entities engaged in aquaculture to take double-crested cormorants that are causing or threatening harm at aquaculture facilities and state and federal fish hatcheries.

Interior must reissue the depredation order with updates, including an expansion of (1) the number of states covered by the order, and (2) the entities to whom the order applies (i.e., private lake and pond managers who are licensed by the state).

Under the bill, Interior must renew the depredation order every five years.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2293 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2293

To require the Secretary of the Interior to reissue certain regulations 
  relating to the taking of double-crested cormorants at aquaculture 
                              facilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 24, 2025

Mr. Ezell (for himself, Mr. Guest, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, and Mr. 
Kelly of Mississippi) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of the Interior to reissue certain regulations 
  relating to the taking of double-crested cormorants at aquaculture 
                              facilities.

    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 ``Cormorant Relief Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. REGULATIONS RELATING TO TAKING OF DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS AT 
              AQUACULTURE FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall reissue the original 
depredation order in accordance with subsection (b).
    (b) Requirements.--The depredation order reissued under subsection 
(a) shall be the same as the original depredation order, except that 
the depredation order reissued under subsection (a)--
            (1) shall apply to each of the States of California, 
        Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, 
        Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in 
        addition to and in the same manner as each of the States to 
        which the original depredation order applied; and
            (2) shall apply to lake managers and pond managers in 
        addition to and in the same manner as each of the entities to 
        which the original depredation order applied.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Lake manager.--The term ``lake manager'' means a person 
        that is licensed by a State regulatory agency to manage a 
        private lake.
            (2) Original depredation order.--The term ``original 
        depredation order'' means the depredation order for double-
        crested cormorants at aquaculture facilities contained in 
        section 21.47 of title 50, Code of Federal Regulations (as in 
        effect on January 1, 2016).
            (3) Pond manager.--The term ``pond manager'' means a person 
        that is licensed by a State regulatory agency to manage a 
        private pond.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the Director of the United 
        States Fish and Wildlife Service.
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