Lawmakers propose unexpected method to get harmful fish out of crucial waterway: 'Its future is under threat'

Representatives from Maryland and Virginia have joined together on a new bill that targets an invasive fish species in D.C.-area waterways.

Reps. Steny H. Hoyer, Sarah Elfreth, Rob Wittman, and Jen Kiggans introduced the Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act just after the July 4 holiday, according to the Southern Maryland Chronicle.

If passed, the bill would create a pilot program through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that incentivizes catching invasive blue catfish in Chesapeake Bay.

The program would provide grants to pet and animal food manufacturers in the region that prioritize harvesting the invasive fish, while also building infrastructure needed to manufacture, process, and ship their products.

The NOAA would collect data and report the MAWS Act's economic and ecological impact in the area to Congress to influence similar projects around the country.

The blue catfish was introduced to the region decades ago, though at the time, it was thought this species could only tolerate freshwater. In the years since, the fish species has expanded its range by swimming out into the salty bay and back into connecting freshwater systems.

As a result, the population has grown out of control, dominating the local habitat by eating native species.

Invasive species not only affect local populations, but they also throw off the natural balance of the ecosystem. When this occurs, the area will struggle to act as a carbon sink, which can contribute to the rapid overheating of the planet.

Ecological restoration projects in the area have already proved successful with the Chesapeake Bay oyster population, so this measure would be another step in the right direction.

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Officials — and even restaurateurs — in both Maryland and Virginia have promoted recreational fishing of the blue catfish, but the MAWS Act would take the measure further by throwing local industry into the mix.

"The Chesapeake Bay … supports thousands of jobs and feeds millions of people, but its future is under threat from invasive blue catfish," said Congresswoman Kiggans. "The MAWS Act is a creative, bipartisan solution that helps our watermen, protects native species, and turns an environmental challenge into an economic opportunity."

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