MAWS Act of 2026
Introduced July 7, 2025 · Last action March 18, 2026
Plain English Summary
This bill directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a 2-year pilot program allowing companies that manufacture pet food, animal feed, or aquaculture feed (called 'covered entities') to purchase blue catfish caught by watermen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, with federal funding supporting these purchases. The goal is to reduce the invasive blue catfish population in the Chesapeake Bay while creating a market for watermen to sell the fish they catch.
Who benefits
Watermen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed who catch blue catfish (gain market for their catch at government-supported prices); seafood processors in the region who purchase blue catfish from watermen (gain revenue from resale); manufacturers of pet food, animal feed, and aquaculture feed that participate as covered entities (receive federal funding to purchase fish at discounted rates relative to market alternatives); research institutions in the Chesapeake Bay region that partner with the federal government on data collection; Maryland and Virginia state governments that participate in the memorandum of understanding and may benefit from invasive species mitigation.
Who pays / loses
Federal taxpayers who fund the cooperative agreements and blue catfish purchases (bill contains no specified dollar amount); other aquatic species and ecosystems in the Chesapeake Bay that may be affected by intensive blue catfish removal (per reporting requirements); watermen fishing other species whose revenue may decline if this program diverts fishing effort to blue catfish; competitive aquaculture feed, animal feed, and pet food manufacturers not participating in the program (covered entities receive subsidized inputs).
Funding & Lobbying Interests
The bill does not specify appropriations or budget authority. Funding interests favoring the bill include: (1) pet food, animal feed, and aquaculture feed manufacturers seeking subsidized sourcing of fish inputs (covered entities); (2) commercial fishing interests and watermen organizations seeking markets for invasive species; (3) Chesapeake Bay conservation nonprofits and state environmental agencies interested in invasive species mitigation; (4) research institutions with expertise in blue catfish and invasive aquatic species. No sponsor financial disclosure data was provided.
Political Impact
Affected Groups
Watermen and commercial fishermen in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (potential income opportunity from blue catfish sales); seafood processors in the Chesapeake Bay region (potential revenue from purchasing and reselling fish); pet food, animal feed, and aquaculture feed manufacturers participating as covered entities (subsidized fish inputs); residents and stakeholders in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed region across Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia (environmental and ecological impacts from altered predator-prey dynamics as blue catfish population is reduced).
Political Subtext
Proponents argue this bill leverages an invasive species problem (blue catfish overpopulation in the Chesapeake Bay) as an economic development opportunity for local watermen while protecting native fish populations and bay ecosystem health. Critics may argue the bill creates a subsidy for pet food and aquaculture feed manufacturers without a guaranteed environmental benefit, commits federal funds without capping total spending, and may not achieve sufficient blue catfish removal to meaningfully improve Chesapeake Bay conditions. The bill does not specify a total budget or per-entity cap, leaving cost exposure undefined. Non-partisan policy analysis typically supports invasive species removal but questions whether subsidizing private manufacturers is the most cost-effective approach. The bill's emphasis on data collection and reporting (abundance estimates, catch data, environmental monitoring, economic effects) suggests uncertainty about whether the intervention will work as intended.
Real-World Stakes
If this passes, federal funds will flow to pet food, animal feed, and aquaculture feed manufacturers to purchase invasive blue catfish, creating income for Chesapeake Bay watermen. The pilot will run for 2 years after guidance is issued, with results reported to Congress. Success depends on whether the program removes enough blue catfish to measurably reduce population abundance and improve conditions for native species (striped bass, shad, herring, etc.), and whether manufacturers use the subsidized inputs rather than substitute other fish species. Historical precedent: invasive carp removal programs in the Mississippi River and Great Lakes have had mixed results—mechanical removal and targeted fishing can reduce populations locally but face challenges in achieving basin-wide control without sustained effort. The Chesapeake Bay's blue catfish population has grown substantially since the 1990s, competing with and preying on native fish. Whether watermen can harvest enough blue catfish to materially impact ecosystem recovery is uncertain and will be measured by the required abundance estimates and environmental assessments. The bill creates no enforcement mechanism if covered entities fail to purchase committed amounts or if manufacturers redirect fish to other uses.
Sponsor
Sponsor information not available.
Vote Record
No recorded votes.
Campaign Finance — Primary Sponsor
No campaign finance data available yet.
501(c)(4) disclosure: Contributions from 501(c)(4) "dark money" organizations are not required to be publicly disclosed and are not reflected in the figures above. Data sourced from FEC public disclosure filings.
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