Lawmakers have introduced legislation targeting an invasive species in the Susquehanna River’s major outlet.
The Southern Maryland Chronicle reports that members of the US Congress from Maryland and Virginia have introduced the Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act, or MAWS Act, targeting blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay.
The Susquehanna River is the major tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, and the the Chesapeake Bay Foundation has warned that the river is also at threat from the invasive species.
The MAWS Act incentivizing the capture and harvest of the blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay, via a pilot program through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The program would provide grants to animal food manufactuers that prioritize harvesting the fish, as well as building infrastructure to process and ship them.
Data collected by the NOAA would then be used to promote recommendations for similar programs nationwide.
“Invasive blue catfish pose a direct ecological and economic threat to our Bay,” said Congresswoman Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth of Maryland, according to the Chronicle.
Elfreth is one of the bill’s sponsors, along with Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, and Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans of Virginia.
Blue catfish live up to 20 years and can grow to weigh over 100 pounds.
The species lacks natural predators in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, and as they eat nearly anything, they threaten several other species and the biodiversity of the region.
The MAWS Act was introduced to the House of Representatives in July and went before the Natural Resources Subcommittee on July 22.
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