[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 125 (Tuesday, July 22, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3543-H3544]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GREAT LAKES MASS MARKING PROGRAM ACT OF 2025
Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1917) to establish the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program, and
for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1917
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 ``Great Lakes Mass Marking
Program Act of 2025''.
SEC. 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.
SEC. 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).
SEC. 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.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the
Program $2,700,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through
2030.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Tiffany) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs.
Dingell) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin.
General Leave
Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 1917, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Wisconsin?
There was no objection.
Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1917, the Great Lakes Mass
Marking Program Act of 2025, sponsored by my colleague from Michigan
(Mrs. Dingell).
According to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, the Tribal,
commercial, and recreational fisheries in the five Great Lakes are home
to 177 species of fish, including 139 native species.
{time} 1610
These Tribal, commercial, and recreational fisheries have an annual
economic value exceeding $7 billion and support over 75,000 jobs.
One of the greatest challenges facing the Great Lakes is the threat
of invasive species, such as the sea lamprey and Asian carp. To counter
these invasive species, Tribal, Federal, and State agencies introduce
hatchery-raised fish to encourage the recovery of native species. For
example, in 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 10 hatcheries
that support the Great Lakes region introduced more than 4.7 million
hatchery fish into the five Great Lakes.
To gather data on the success of hatchery fish, wildlife managers tag
large numbers of these fish through a practice known as mass marking.
This practice enables them to easily distinguish between hatchery fish
and wild fish populations.
In addition to tagging hatchery fish, this program also plays a vital
role in aiding cooperative fisheries management decisions with States
and Tribes by producing data on the health of the fishery.
The Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act was administratively
established in 2010 and continues to receive appropriations despite
never being authorized by Congress. H.R. 1917 would provide formal
congressional authorization for this existing program, thereby
increasing the opportunity for congressional oversight over the
program. Importantly, by providing a statutory authorization, it would
better enable the Committee on Natural Resources to make substantive
changes to how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the
program, should changes be necessary.
Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for considering my important
legislation, the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act, today.
I thank my friends, Representatives Huizenga and Walberg, for their
bipartisan support and partnership on this bill. I also thank Chairman
Westerman and Ranking Member Huffman for their support.
Mr. Speaker, the Great Lakes States and Tribes, along with the Fish
and Wildlife Service, annually stock millions of salmon and trout to
restore native fish populations, diversify sport fisheries, and control
invasive forage fishes within the Great Lakes. However, little is known
about how well these fish survive, contribute to the fisheries, and
reproduce in the wild. This is where mass marking comes into play.
Mass marking is the practice of tagging large numbers of hatchery-
raised fish so we can easily distinguish them from the wild fish
population.
[[Page H3544]]
The planned method within the Great Lakes is to clip the adipose fin,
the small fin on the dorsal side near the tail, combined with a coded
wire tag, or CWT. A CWT is a 1.1 millimeter-long, tiny stainless steel
wire marked with serial numbers denoting a specific group of fish.
This tag can be extracted after recapture, which will provide
biologists with key population characteristics, such as survival,
movement, contribution to fisheries, growth, and their levels of
natural reproduction.
This legislation would enable the Fish and Wildlife Service to mark
all hatchery-produced fish within the Great Lakes. Currently, we tag
only around 9 to 11 million of the 21 million fish stocked in the Great
Lakes each year.
Marking all hatchery fish will drastically improve data collection,
enabling better analysis of the health of wild fish stocks. This
information will provide valuable insights to help develop a science-
based, collaborative fishery management program. This legislation also
ensures that the collected data will be shared with all relevant
fishery management agencies.
We have seen the effectiveness of these types of programs in the
Pacific Northwest for salmon and steelhead management. With the Great
Lakes fishing economy, which is valued at about $5.5 billion, it is
time we invest in this proven data-driven approach that would
significantly enhance the sustainability and effectiveness of hatchery
operations and fisheries management.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues again for considering this
important legislation today, and I encourage my colleagues to support
its final passage. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Walberg).
Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time.
Mr. Speaker, to Michiganders, the Great Lakes are more than just a
natural resource. They are a source of pride for our State, a
cornerstone of our identity, and a home to our world-class fisheries.
From Lake Michigan to Lake Erie, generations of anglers have cast
their lines into these great waters, and families like mine have taken
their children and grandchildren to make their first catch, creating
meaningful and lasting memories.
These fisheries are also a lifeline for our local economy. Taken
together, the Great Lakes commercial, recreational, and Tribal
fisheries generate over $7 billion annually and support over 75,000
jobs.
That is why I am proud to join Representatives Debbie Dingell and
Bill Huizenga on the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act, which will
build on the success of the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program to
implement the large-scale marking of fish in all hatcheries.
In 2023, an angler from Sheboygan caught a 35-inch lake trout--I am
jealous--which was marked as part of the program. Its coded tag
revealed that the trout hatched in 1984 and was raised at the Iron
River National Fish Hatchery before being stocked on Sheboygan Reef in
1985.
Data like this allows us to better understand migratory patterns and
population changes. By expanding the program to all Great Lakes
hatcheries, we can improve fishing practices, increase efficiencies,
and save resources wherever possible.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Great Lakes Mass
Marking Program Act so that we can preserve our fisheries and be better
stewards of this great national treasure.
Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I will note that I have no further
requests for time. I thank my colleague from Michigan (Mr. Tiffany) for
supporting this bill.
I invite all of my colleagues to join me fishing on the Great Lakes.
It might be good therapy for this institution.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, the Great Lakes are both an ecological and
economic engine for our Nation. It is our duty as Members of Congress
to safeguard them for future generations, and H.R. 1917 is a step
forward in that process.
I thank Representatives Dingell, Walberg, and Huizenga for their
efforts on this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge my colleagues to support the bill,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Tiffany) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1917, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. TIFFANY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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