H.R. 8195 · In committee · Animals

Responsible Cormorant Management and Control Act of 2026

What it does

Requires the Secretary of the Interior to develop regional management frameworks for the take of double-crested cormorants within 180 days of enactment, in coordination with applicable Regional Flyway Councils.
Directs each regional framework to ensure the breeding population of double-crested cormorants is maintained at a sustainable level and to account for effects on fisheries, vegetation, other migratory birds, human health and safety, water quality, and listed threatened or endangered species.
Identifies State and Tribal agencies, licensed hunters, and lake and pond managers as entities authorized to take double-crested cormorants under the regional frameworks.
Requires the Secretary, in coordination with Regional Flyway Councils, to conduct population surveys of double-crested cormorants no later than 5 years after enactment and every 5 years thereafter.
Directs the Secretary to review and update each regional management framework every 5 years, incorporating results from the most recent population surveys.

Sep 15, 2026: Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by Unanimous Consent.

Committee: House Natural Resources