Each year, federal, state, and Tribal agencies stock about 21 million hatchery-raised fish in the Great Lakes to support native species recovery and recreational and commercial fishing. This bill would formally establish a Great Lakes Mass Marking Program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, building on a smaller effort that started in 2010 and currently tags around 9–11 million fish annually. The program would use automated tagging technology to tell hatchery fish apart from wild fish, helping managers make better decisions about stocking rates, species rehabilitation, and habitat restoration. It authorizes $5 million per year through 2030.
Congressional Summary
Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025This bill provides statutory authority for a program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for the mass marking of hatchery-produced fish in the Great Lakes basin. Mass marking is the practice of tagging large numbers of hatchery-produced fish in order to distinguish them from the wild fish population. The FWS initiated the program in 2010 on a limited scale. Under the existing program, the FWS (1) tags hatchery-produced fish stocked in the Great Lakes, and (2) produces data used by state and tribal fish management agencies to make management decisions regarding Great Lakes fisheries.This bill allows the FWS, in carrying out the program, to (1) purchase items to support and carry out tagging and tag recovery operations on a greater scale, and (2) hire additional personnel.The FWS must make the data collected under the program available to applicable federal, state, and tribal fish management agencies toincrease the understanding of the outcomes of management action;assist in meeting the restoration objectives of the Great Lakes;assist in balancing predators and prey;support and improve the economic status of tribal, recreational, and commercial fisheries; andassist in evaluating the effectiveness of habitat restoration efforts in the Great Lakes.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-09-18
- Date Added
- 2026-04-09