The Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries convened a legislative hearing to review four bipartisan bills aimed at updating fisheries management, addressing illegal foreign fishing, and improving water storage infrastructure. The proposed legislation includes H.R. 338, H.R. 1514, H.R. 3756, and H.R. 5699.
Subcommittee Chair Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) commented on the hearing's objectives: “Today’s hearing highlights our ongoing commitment to strengthening the stewardship of our water and fisheries resources. These bills advance practical, transparent, and collaborative approaches. The Natural Resources Committee continues to support legislative solutions that promote conservation, protect American communities and industries, and ensure our natural resources are well managed.”
The committee noted several ongoing challenges facing U.S. water systems and fisheries. Issues include insufficient storage capacity for drought resilience, fragmented management structures in major watersheds such as the Mississippi River Basin, outdated federal data collection methods, and increased incidents of illegal foreign fishing.
Many groundwater projects currently do not qualify for federal support despite their potential to provide greater recharge than existing limits permit. In the Mississippi River Basin—covering 31 states—fisheries oversight is divided among multiple agencies without an established framework for coordination or response to invasive species.
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing remains a concern as it brings unlawful seafood into U.S. markets and negatively impacts domestic fishers while threatening sustainable stocks. Additionally, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Recreational Information Program has been criticized for overestimating recreational fishing activity; this can result in shorter seasons and less access for anglers due to misinformed management decisions.
If enacted, the bills would increase opportunities for water storage projects nationwide—including eligibility expansions—and create mechanisms for better cooperation across the Mississippi River Basin. They also propose measures to reduce IUU fishing activities entering U.S. markets and update flawed federal data systems used in resource management decisions.
According to the committee's background materials, these reforms are intended to improve long-term resource reliability while supporting both environmental conservation efforts and economic stability within affected communities.
