Responsible Cormorant Management and Control Act of 2026
Key claim: A House bill that would change how the federal government manages and controls cormorant populations has been reported out of committee and placed on the House Union Calendar.
Abstract
(HR8195 · 119th Congress) Latest action (2026-10-29): Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 754.
Why this matters
Double-crested cormorants have been a long-running flashpoint between aquaculture operators, sport-fishing interests, and bird-conservation groups, with federal depredation authority repeatedly rewritten after court challenges. A statutory framework — rather than USFWS rulemaking alone — would lock in control authorities and could shift costs, permitting burdens, and ecological outcomes for fisheries and nesting colonies. The bill is only at the reported stage, so practical effects remain contingent on floor action.