In mid-September, U.S. senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL) introduced the Responsible Cormorant Management and Control Act of 2026, legislation aimed at giving states more effective tools to address localized impacts from double-crested cormorants.
The federal legislation would – if enacted – direct the Department of the Interior to establish regional management frameworks that account for the effects of cormorants on fisheries and other natural resources while maintaining sustainable breeding populations.
A House companion introduced by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) recently advanced out of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries. That House version – H.R. 8195 – is co-sponsored locally by New York representatives Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24) and Nicholas A. Langworthy (R-NY-23) in the House.
“Excessive double-crested cormorant populations are harming fisheries, aquaculture operations, and private waters across Texas,” said Sen. Cruz, adding “This bill gives Texans the tools they need to responsibly manage these populations.”
Sen. Britt said Alabama’s catfish farmers play a crucial role in her state’s economy, saying “Cormorants pose a significant threat to catfish populations, and that’s why I’m proud to join Senator Cruz in introducing this legislation to streamline burdensome regulations and bolster states’ abilities to work with the Department of the Interior to protect this critical industry.”
According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the double-crested cormorant is a long-lived, colonial-nesting water bird native to North America that consumes, on average, 1 to 1-1/2 pounds of fish every day. “Cormorant abundance in North America has increased dramatically since the 1960s and 1970s, mostly due to the growth of the Interior and Atlantic subpopulations,” the service noted, while estimating current abundance in the continental U.S. and Canada at somewhere between 871,000 to 1,031,750 cormorants.
At issue is the fact that double-crested cormorants are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), which involves four international conservation treaties that the United States entered with Canada, Japan, Mexico, and Russia. The MBTA prohibits the take (killing, capture, selling, trading, transport, etc.) of protected migratory bird species without prior authorization by the Service. Double-crested cormorants were first protected in 1972 through an amendment to the Mexican treaty. The Responsible Cormorant Management and Control Act of 2026, if passed in both the House and the Senate, could readdress that 1972 amendment,
“Our fisheries are essential to our nation’s economy, outdoor recreation, and cultural heritage,” said Rep. Walberg, while adding “Recreational fishing across the United States generates significant economic benefit, supporting jobs and tourism-driven economies nationwide.”
“When double crested cormorant populations grow beyond sustainable levels, they can significantly deplete fish stocks,” said Rep. Walberg, explaining how the legislation aims to use a responsible, science driven framework to protect the health of our fisheries.
