I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7166 
To establish the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 31, 2024 
Mrs. DINGELL (for herself and Mr. HUIZENGA) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To establish the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Great Lakes Mass 
Marking Program Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) the Great Lakes have experienced rapid 
changes in recent years due to— 
(A) the introduction of multiple aquatic 
invasive species; 
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(B) alterations in the food web; and 
(C) decreases in the abundance of prey 
species; 
(2) due to rapid biological change in the Great 
Lakes, the Great Lakes need a collaborative, science- 
based program to assist in making management ac-
tions regarding fish stocking rates, the rehabilitation 
of important fish species, and habitat restoration; 
(3) the States of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, 
Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Wis-
consin and Indian Tribes in those States, working 
through the Council of Lake Committees of the 
Great Lakes Fishery Commission, have identified 
that mass marking is— 
(A) a precise tool to keep hatchery-pro-
duced fish in balance with wild fish; and 
(B) essential to achieving fishery manage-
ment and research objectives through producing 
a better understanding of— 
(i) the quantity of hatchery produced 
fish compared to wild fish in the Great 
Lakes; 
(ii) the effectiveness of hatchery oper-
ations; and 
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(iii) the effectiveness of fishery man-
agement actions; 
(4) the mass marking program of the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great 
Lakes— 
(A) was initiated in 2010 on a limited 
scale; 
(B) annually tags approximately 9,000,000 
to 11,000,000 of the hatchery-produced fish 
stocked in the Great Lakes; 
(C) is a basinwide cooperative effort 
among the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service, Indian Tribes, and State management 
agencies; and 
(D) produces data used by State and Trib-
al fish management agencies to make manage-
ment decisions regarding Great Lakes fisheries; 
(5) annually, Federal, State, and Tribal agen-
cies stock approximately 21,000,000 hatchery-pro-
duced fish in the Great Lakes to support— 
(A) native species recovery; and 
(B) recreational and commercial fishing; 
(6) mass marking of hatchery-produced fish, 
using automated technology, is an efficient method 
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of implementing a collaborative, science-based fish-
ery program; and 
(7) the Great Lakes are an important and val-
ued resource that— 
(A) supports a robust regional economy 
valued at more than $7,000,000,000; and 
(B) provides stability to the economy of 
the United States. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service. 
(2) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 
the Great Lakes Mass Marking Program established 
by section 4(a). 
SEC. 4. GREAT LAKES MASS MARKING PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—To assist in determining the effec-
tiveness of hatchery operations and fisheries management 
actions and to support Great Lakes fisheries, there is es-
tablished within the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv-
ice a program for the mass marking of hatchery-produced 
fish in the Great Lakes basin, to be known as the ‘‘Great 
Lakes Mass Marking Program’’. 
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(b) AUTHORIZED ACTIONS.—In carrying out the Pro-
gram, the Director may— 
(1) purchase capital and expendable equipment, 
fish tags, and other items necessary to support and 
carry out tagging and tag recovery operations, in-
cluding data processing and data dissemination re-
lating to those operations; and 
(2) hire additional personnel, as necessary. 
(c) REQUIRED COLLABORATION.—In carrying out 
the Program, the Director shall collaborate with applicable 
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. 
(d) AVAILABILITY
OF DATA.—The Director shall 
make the data collected under the Program available to 
applicable Federal, State, and Tribal fish management 
agencies— 
(1) to increase the understanding of the out-
comes of management action; 
(2) to assist in meeting the restoration objec-
tives of the Great Lakes, including the fish commu-
nity objectives and fish management plans described 
in the Joint Strategic Plan for Management of 
Great Lakes Fisheries; 
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(3) to assist in balancing predators and prey; 
(4) to support and improve the economic status 
of Tribal, recreational, and commercial fisheries; and 
(5) to assist in evaluating the effectiveness of 
habitat restoration efforts in the Great Lakes. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
the Program $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 
through 2029. 
Æ 
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