Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025

House Bill

H.R. 1917

119th Congress

Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025

In Committee

Introduced:Mar 6, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Debbie Dingell

Representative

Democratic

MI-6

Cosponsors

6

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Environmental Protection

Summary

This bill provides statutory authority for the Fish and Wildlife Service program that tags hatchery-raised fish in the Great Lakes to distinguish them from wild populations. It allows expanded purchasing and hiring to grow the tagging program.

Latest Action

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

SponsorDebbie Dingell (D-MI)

Introduced3/6/2025

StatusReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

ChamberHouse

Data from Congress.gov

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Vote Prediction

Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025

This bill provides statutory authority for the Fish and Wildlife Service program that tags hatchery-raised fish in the Great Lakes to distinguish them from wild populations. It allows expanded purchasing and hiring to grow the tagging program.

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

0 predictions

This bill provides statutory authority for the Fish and Wildlife Service program that tags hatchery-raised fish in the Great Lakes to distinguish them from wild populations. It allows expanded purchasing and hiring to grow the tagging program.

Bill Number: 1917
Sponsor: Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
Introduced: 3/6/2025
Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Policy Area: Environmental Protection

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025
Bill Number: 1917
Sponsor: Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Introduced: 3/6/2025
Summary: This bill provides statutory authority for the Fish and Wildlife Service program that tags hatchery-raised fish in the Great Lakes to distinguish them from wild populations. It allows expanded purchasing and hiring to grow the tagging program.

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill provides statutory authority for the Fish and Wildlife Service program that tags hatchery-raised fish in the Great Lakes to distinguish them from wild populations. It allows expanded purchasing and hiring to grow the tagging program.

Last updated: 1/5/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service 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 to<ul><li>increase the understanding of the outcomes of management action;</li><li>assist in meeting the restoration objectives of the Great Lakes;</li><li>assist in balancing predators and prey;</li><li>support and improve the economic status of tribal, recreational, and commercial fisheries; and</li><li>assist in evaluating the effectiveness of habitat restoration efforts in the Great Lakes.</li></ul>

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Authorizes Great Lakes fish mass marking program
Distinguishes hatchery fish from wild populations
Supports state and tribal fishery management
Allows expanded program operations and staffing
Improves data for restoration and conservation

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

Great Lakes fishery managers would have better data to distinguish stocked fish from wild fish, helping balance predator and prey populations. This supports recreational, commercial, and tribal fishing economies around the Great Lakes.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Environmental Protection

Related Subjects

Aquatic ecology

Fishes

Government information and archives

Great Lakes

Marine and coastal resources, fisheries

Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

1917, 119th Congress (2025). "Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-1917