Mississippi River Basin Fishery Commission Act of 2025
The Mississippi River Basin Fishery Commission Act of 2025 would create a new interagency federal commission housed in the Department of the Interior—the Mississippi River Basin Fishery Commission (MRBFC). Its purpose is to coordinate and oversee interjurisdictional management of fisheries across six major Mississippi River sub-basins (Arkansas-Red-White, Lower Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee-Cumberland, and Upper Mississippi) in 31 states and with various federal agencies and tribes. A core aim is to promote long-term biologic and economic sustainability of interjurisdictional fisheries and to lead coordinated efforts to prevent and control aquatic invasive species, especially invasive carps. The MRBFC would rely on collaboration, best scientific practices, and shared management plans (notably the MICRA Joint Strategic Plan) and would have a formal grant program to fund eligible interjurisdictional projects. The bill sets up governance, funding, and reporting rules but makes the commission’s authority nonbinding. States and other eligible entities may join voluntarily and appoint voting delegates; the commission would issue recommendations and manage grant activities, with annual reporting to Congress and multi-year funding authorizations. Importantly, the bill emphasizes coordination over coercive authority, with a focus on interjurisdictional planning, invasive species strategies, and implementation of a shared management framework across the basin.
Key Points
- 1Establishes the Mississippi River Basin Fishery Commission within the Department of the Interior to coordinate interjurisdictional fisheries across six sub-basins and 31 states, plus federal agencies and tribes.
- 2Governance and membership: eligible entities may join by notifying the executive director; voting delegates are appointed by each joining entity (state fishery directors for states, and one delegate for federal agencies/tribal entities); the Commission operates by consensus with a majority vote required for actions.
- 3Management framework: the Commission uses the existing MICRA Joint Strategic Plan as its framework, pursues best scientific methods, and develops inter-agency strategies to prevent and control invasive species, especially invasive carps.
- 4Grant programs: establishes both competitive and formula grants to fund eligible interjurisdictional projects; states receive formula grants, while private entities, federal agencies, NGOs, and higher education institutions can compete for competitive grants (with a 10% minimum non-federal match requirement).
- 5Invasive species focus: explicit duty to develop coordinated strategies to prevent introduction and control spread of invasive carps and other aquatic invasive species within the basin.
- 6Reporting and oversight: annual reports to Congress on Commission activities; a requirement every 30 years to reexamine and update the Joint Strategic Plan and report on interjurisdictional fishery populations and invasive species management.
- 7Nonbinding authority: the Commission’s recommendations are nonbinding; state governments retain primary authority to enact or modify state laws and conservation measures.
- 8Withdrawal and oversight: member entities may withdraw with six months’ written notice; the Commission can house and staff itself and hold meetings at least annually.
- 9Funding: initial appropriation of $1 million in 2026 for setup; $30 million annually (2027–2029) and $50 million annually (2030–2032) to support management and grant activities; plus $0.5 million per year (2026–2032) to the Secretary of the Interior for maintaining housing/space for the Commission.