Hoyer, Elfreth, Wittman Lead House Passage of Bill to Tackle Invasive Blue Catfish in the Chesapeake Bay

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) joined Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (MD-03) and Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) to recognize the House passage of the Mitigation Action and Waterman Support (MAWS) Act.

This legislation, which was introduced last July, would establish a pilot program in the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office to facilitate a market for Chesapeake Bay blue catfish in the pet and animal food industry in an effort to take millions of pounds of these harmful fish out of our waterways. NOAA will administer grants to pet and animal food manufacturers to ensure watermen are properly incentivized to catch blue catfish and establish transportation, processing, and manufacturing structures for a long-term market. Throughout this two-year pilot, NOAA will collect data on the ecological and economic impacts of this program. NOAA will then report best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations to Congress.

"The Chesapeake Bay is the beating heart of Maryland, and invasive blue catfish threaten the very ecosystems and communities that the watershed sustains," said Congressman Hoyer, an original cosponsor of the MAWS Act. "I was proud to join my friend Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth on the MAWS Act and help secure passage of this vital legislation to combat blue catfish and protect our beloved Bay."

“With House passage of the MAWS Act, we are one step closer to creating new opportunities in a growing market for blue catfish, which pose a direct ecological and economic threat to the Chesapeake Bay. While we can all do our part and order blue catfish when we see it on a menu, this is not a problem that we alone can eat our way out of,” said Congresswoman Elfreth. “That’s why we need bipartisan, innovative solutions, like the MAWS Act, that strengthen our local economy and preserve the health of the Bay. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to get this legislation past the finish line. If we can prove this innovative strategy works in the Chesapeake, my hope is it can utilize similar tools in waterways across the country - like invasive carp in the Mississippi and Great Lakes.”

“The MAWS Act will facilitate a new market for invasive blue catfish — protecting the biodiversity of the Chesapeake Bay,” said Rep. Wittman. “I am pleased that the House has passed this legislation, and I look forward to seeing it advance to the Senate. Preserving the health of the Bay remains one of my top priorities, and I am proud to have joined Congresswoman Elfreth in leading this critical legislation.”

Blue catfish are not only contributing to the ecological biodiversity challenge of the Bay, but also causing significant economic damage to Maryland and Virginia's seafood industries. They are now the most abundant biomass in the Chesapeake Bay. Despite being safe and nutritious for human consumption, watermen are struggling to sell enough blue catfish to combat the rapidly growing population, partially due to a rule that redirects inspection for this species to the USDA, unlike every other fish that is inspected through the FDA.  

Following today’s passage, the bill moves to the Senate for further consideration. The full bill text is available HERE.