Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025

The Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025 would create a formal Great Lakes Mass Marking Program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The program aims to mass-mark hatchery-produced fish in the Great Lakes basin to improve understanding of hatchery versus wild fish, assess hatchery operations, and guide fisheries management actions and habitat restoration. It builds on an existing USFWS mass-marking effort that tags millions of hatchery fish each year and emphasizes a collaborative, science-based approach involving federal, state, and Tribal fish management agencies, the Council of Lake Committees of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and signatories to the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries. The bill also requires data from the program to be shared with these agencies to inform management decisions, restoration objectives, predator-prey balancing, and the economic and habitat aspects of Great Lakes fisheries. To fund the program, the bill authorizes a dedicated appropriation of $2.7 million per fiscal year for 2026 through 2030. It authorizes the USFWS Director to purchase equipment, tag fish, process data, and hire staff as needed, and to collaborate with relevant agencies. The act emphasizes data availability to support management outcomes, restoration goals, and the overall health of Great Lakes fisheries and habitats, including economic benefits to Tribal, recreational, and commercial fishing.