H.R. 2293 · Where this bill is now
In the Senate
Passed the House Dec 9, 2025. Received Dec 10, 2025; no Senate vote yet
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryAllows control of cormorants at fish farms
Cormorants are fish-eating birds that can damage aquaculture facilities—fish farms and hatcheries—where fish are raised. This bill requires the Department of the Interior to reissue a depredation order that allows certain people to take (capture, kill, disperse, or move) double-crested cormorants without needing a special permit when the birds threaten these facilities. The order would cover more states than before and apply to more types of aquaculture operators, including private lake and pond managers licensed by their state. The department must renew the order every five years.
How it affects you
If you own or operate a fish farm, hatchery, or licensed private aquaculture facility in the covered states, this bill gives you the ability to manage cormorant populations that damage your operation without getting individual permits for each bird. For most other people, this change happens behind the scenes at facilities that supply fish for food or restocking.
Read the official summary (Reported to House, Sep 15, 2025)
Cormorant Relief Act of 2025
This bill requires the Department of the Interior to reissue the depredation order for double-crested cormorants at aquaculture facilities in certain states. (The previous order was vacated in 2016 by court order.)
Depredation orders allow for the taking (i.e., capturing, killing, dispersing, or transport of the carcass) of a specified species without a permit, generally to reduce damage caused by the species or to protect interests like health or property. Reissuing this order authorizes landowners, operators, tenants, and employees of entities engaged in aquaculture to take double-crested cormorants that are causing or threatening harm at aquaculture facilities and state and federal fish hatcheries.
Interior must reissue the depredation order with updates, including an expansion of (1) the number of states covered by the order, and (2) the entities to whom the order applies (i.e., private lake and pond managers who are licensed by the state).
Under the bill, Interior must renew the depredation order every five years.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 2293
AN ACT
Cormorant Relief Act of 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Mike Ezell (R-MS-4) · Introduced Mar 24, 2025 · Animals · 4 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Dec 10, 2025: “Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.”