Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025 in plain language
1: Short title
This section would let the Act be referred to as the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025 .
2: Findings
This section states findings by Congress. It says the Great Lakes have gone through rapid change in recent years because of the introduction of multiple aquatic invasive species, changes in the food web, and decreases in the abundance of prey species. It says that because of this rapid biological change, the Great Lakes need a collaborative, science based program to help guide decisions on fish stocking rates, rehabilitating important fish species, and restoring habitat. It says the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin, and Indian Tribes in those states, working through the Council of Lake Committees of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, have identified mass marking as a precise tool for keeping hatchery produced fish in balance with wild fish, and as essential to fishery management and research because it produces a better understanding of how many hatchery produced fish there are compared to wild fish in the Great Lakes, how effective hatchery operations are, and how effective fishery management actions are. It says the existing mass marking program run by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes started on a limited scale in 2010, tags approximately 9,000,000 to 11,000,000 of the hatchery produced fish stocked in the Great Lakes each year, is a basinwide cooperative effort among the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Indian Tribes, and state management agencies, and produces data that state and tribal fish management agencies use to make management decisions about Great Lakes fisheries. It says that each year federal, state, and tribal agencies stock approximately 21,000,000 hatchery produced fish in the Great Lakes to support native species recovery and recreational and commercial fishing. It says mass marking of hatchery produced fish using automated technology is an efficient way to carry out a collaborative, science based fishery program. And it says the Great Lakes are an important and valued resource that supports a regional economy valued at more than $7,000,000,000 and provides stability to the economy of the United States.
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2. Findings Congress finds that— (1) the Great Lakes have experienced rapid changes in recent years due to— (A) the introduction of multiple aquatic invasive species; (B) alterations in the food web; and (C) decreases in the abundance of prey species; (2) due to rapid biological change in the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes need a collaborative, science-based program to assist in making management actions regarding fish stocking rates, the rehabilitation of important fish species, and habitat restoration; (3) the States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin and Indian Tribes in those States, working through the Council of Lake Committees of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, have identified that mass marking is— (A) a precise tool to keep hatchery-produced fish in balance with wild fish; and (B) essential to achieving fishery management and research objectives through producing a better understanding of— (i) the quantity of hatchery produced fish compared to wild fish in the Great Lakes; (ii) the effectiveness of hatchery operations; and (iii) the effectiveness of fishery management actions; (4) the mass marking program of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes— (A) was initiated in 2010 on a limited scale; (B) annually tags approximately 9,000,000 to 11,000,000 of the hatchery-produced fish stocked in the Great Lakes; (C) is a basinwide cooperative effort among the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Indian Tribes, and State management agencies; and (D) produces data used by State and Tribal fish management agencies to make management decisions regarding Great Lakes fisheries; (5) annually, Federal, State, and Tribal agencies stock approximately 21,000,000 hatchery-produced fish in the Great Lakes to support— (A) native species recovery; and (B) recreational and commercial fishing; (6) mass marking of hatchery-produced fish, using automated technology, is an efficient method of implementing a collaborative, science-based fishery program; and (7) the Great Lakes are an important and valued resource that— (A) supports a robust regional economy valued at more than $7,000,000,000; and (B) provides stability to the economy of the United States.
3: Definitions
This section would define two terms used in the Act. Director would mean the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Program would mean the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program established by section 4(a).
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3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Director The term Director means the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. (2) Program The term Program means the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program established by section 4(a).
4: Great Lakes mass marking program
This section would establish the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program within the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to help determine how effective hatchery operations and fisheries management actions are and to support Great Lakes fisheries, by mass marking hatchery produced fish in the Great Lakes basin. In carrying out the Program, the Director could purchase capital and expendable equipment, fish tags, and other items needed to support and carry out tagging and tag recovery operations, including processing and distributing the data from those operations, and could hire additional personnel as necessary. The Director would have to collaborate with applicable federal, state, and tribal fish management agencies, the Council of Lake Committees of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and the signatories to the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries in carrying out the Program. The Director would also have to make the data collected under the Program available to applicable federal, state, and tribal fish management agencies, so they can increase their understanding of the outcomes of management actions, help meet Great Lakes restoration objectives (including the fish community objectives and fish management plans described in the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries), help balance predators and prey, support and improve the economic status of tribal, recreational, and commercial fisheries, and evaluate how effective Great Lakes habitat restoration efforts are.
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4. Great Lakes mass marking program (a) In general To assist in determining the effectiveness of hatchery operations and fisheries management actions and to support Great Lakes fisheries, there is established within the United States Fish and Wildlife Service a program for the mass marking of hatchery-produced fish in the Great Lakes basin, to be known as the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program . (b) Authorized actions In carrying out the Program, the Director may— (1) purchase capital and expendable equipment, fish tags, and other items necessary to support and carry out tagging and tag recovery operations, including data processing and data dissemination relating to those operations; and (2) hire additional personnel, as necessary. (c) Required collaboration In carrying out the Program, the Director shall collaborate with applicable Federal, State, and Tribal fish management agencies, the Council of Lake Committees of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and signatories to the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries. (d) Availability of data The Director shall make the data collected under the Program available to applicable Federal, State, and Tribal fish management agencies— (1) to increase the understanding of the outcomes of management action; (2) to assist in meeting the restoration objectives of the Great Lakes, including the fish community objectives and fish management plans described in the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries; (3) to assist in balancing predators and prey; (4) to support and improve the economic status of Tribal, recreational, and commercial fisheries; and (5) to assist in evaluating the effectiveness of habitat restoration efforts in the Great Lakes.
5: Authorization of appropriations
This section would authorize $5,000,000 to be appropriated to carry out the Program for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
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5. Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the Program $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030.