HR 4800

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

July 29, 2025

Mr. Higgins of Louisiana (for himself and Mr. Fields) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

A BILL

To amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to make certain freshwater fisheries eligible for fishery resource disaster relief.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Fisheries Modernization Act of 2025”.

SEC. 2. CERTAIN FRESHWATER FISHERIES ELIGIBLE FOR FISHERY RESOURCE DISASTER RELIEF.

(a) In General.—Section 312(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1861a(a)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (1)—

(A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting “infrastructure-related cause,” after “discrete anthropogenic cause,”;

(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) through (G) as subparagraphs (F) through (H), respectively; and

(C) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following:

“(E) Infrastructure-related cause.—The term ‘infrastructure-related cause’ means an event—

“(i) caused by the operation or failure of Federal or State infrastructure, including—

“(I) flood control systems;

“(II) spillways;

“(III) levees; and

“(IV) diversions; and

“(ii) that results in measurable disruption to commercial or subsistence fishery activity, aquatic habitat, or water quality.”;

(2) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting “, including with respect to the red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) and white river crawfish (Procambarus zonangulus) fisheries” after “in accordance with this subsection”;

(3) in paragraph (3)(B)(v)—

(A) in subclause (III), by striking “and” at the end;

(B) in subclause (IV), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(V) with respect to the red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) and white river crawfish (Procambarus zonangulus) fisheries, information related to hydrological conditions, water quality degradation, extreme flooding or drought, or other environmental disruptions that directly impact viability.”; and

(4) in paragraph (5)—

(A) in subparagraph (A)—

(i) by redesignating clauses (iii) and (iv) as clauses (iv) and (v), respectively;

(ii) by inserting after clause (ii) the following:

“(iii) an infrastructure-related cause;”; and

(iii) in clause (iv), as so redesignated, by striking “a combination of a natural cause and an anthropogenic cause” and inserting “any combination of clauses (i) through

(iii)”; and

(B) in subparagraph (D), by striking “and safety,” and inserting “and safety, and including a disaster affecting the red swamp crawfish (Procambarus clarkii) and white river crawfish (Procambarus zonangulus) fisheries,”.

(b) Rule of Construction.—Nothing in this section may be construed to limit, reduce, or otherwise affect the eligibility of any marine or anadromous fishery for fishery resource disaster assistance under section 312 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1861a). <all>