Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act of 2026

Key Points

• The Department of Commerce will start a two-year test program to help remove invasive blue catfish from the Chesapeake Bay. The government will work with companies that make pet food and animal feed to buy these fish directly from local fishermen and seafood processors.
• The goal is to protect the Chesapeake Bay environment by reducing the number of blue catfish, which are an invasive species. These fish eat native species and disrupt the local ecosystem, so finding a way to turn them into useful products like pet food helps both the environment and the economy.
• Local fishermen, often called watermen, will get a guaranteed minimum price for the blue catfish they catch. This provides a steady income for people working in the Bay while encouraging them to catch as many of these invasive fish as possible.
• The program will also track how many blue catfish are in the Bay and how the program affects other wildlife. By 2027, the government will start publishing yearly reports on the catfish population to see if the plan is working.
• Up to 15% of the program's funds can be used to help pay for transporting the fish to processing plants. This makes it easier for small businesses to participate and helps get the fish from the water to the factory more efficiently.

Impact Analysis

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