Cormorant Relief Act of 2025

The Cormorant Relief Act of 2025 would require the Secretary of the Interior to reissue a federal regulation that allows aquaculture facility owners to remove or control double-crested cormorants, which can cause significant damage to fish farms. The bill would expand the geographic scope of this regulation to include additional states beyond those covered in the original 2016 rule, and would broaden eligibility to include licensed lake and pond managers, not just aquaculture operators.

If enacted, the bill would allow fish farmers and licensed water managers in affected states to take action against cormorant populations that threaten their operations. The Secretary of the Interior would be required to reissue the regulation within one year of the bill's enactment, maintaining the same basic terms and conditions as the original 2016 depredation order. The bill is currently under consideration in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.