WASHINGTON — Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) and Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth (D-MD-03), alongside Representatives Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA-02), introduced the bipartisan Mitigation Action and Watermen Support (MAWS) Act on Monday, July 7, 2025. The legislation aims to address the ecological and economic threats posed by invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay by establishing a two-year pilot program within the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office to develop a new market for the fish in the pet and animal food industry.
The MAWS Act will provide grants to pet and animal food manufacturers to incentivize watermen to harvest blue catfish, while establishing infrastructure for transportation, processing, and manufacturing. NOAA will collect data on the program’s ecological and economic impacts, including effects on blue catfish populations, native species, watermen’s livelihoods, and market responses. The agency will report findings to Congress, offering best practices and recommendations for similar programs in other watersheds.
“The Chesapeake Bay is the beating heart of Maryland,” Congressman Hoyer said. “We have a responsibility to look after the Bay, its ecosystems, and the communities that it sustains. I’m proud to join my friend Sarah Elfreth – a longtime advocate for the Chesapeake Bay – on this vital legislation to protect the health of our public waters.”
“The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States, with more coastline across the Watershed than the entire coast of California. It is a pillar of our local recreation, seafood, and tourism economies,” said Congresswoman Elfreth. “Invasive blue catfish pose a direct ecological and economic threat to our Bay, which is why I am introducing the bipartisan MAWS Act alongside Congressman Wittman to address the damage inflicted by blue catfish, while also strengthening our local seafood economy and providing a new source of protein to pets nationwide.”
“Having grown up on the Chesapeake Bay, I understand how important it is to protect our marine wildlife and restore the Bay’s ecosystem,” said Congressman Wittman. “Since their introduction, blue catfish have become an invasive species, posing a growing threat to the biodiversity of the region’s waters and inflicting economic damage to the seafood industries that rely on the Bay. I am proud to join Representative Elfreth in introducing the MAWS Act, which will create a new market to incentivize the harvest and sale of blue catfish while providing valuable data for future efforts to combat invasive species in our waterways.”
“The Chesapeake Bay is central to our way of life in Coastal Virginia. It supports thousands of jobs and feeds millions of people, but its future is under threat from invasive blue catfish. The MAWS Act is a creative, bipartisan solution that helps our watermen, protects native species, and turns an environmental challenge into an economic opportunity. By building a new market for blue catfish in pet food, we can strengthen the Bay’s ecology and the seafood economy that depends on it,” said Congresswoman Kiggans.
Blue catfish, lacking natural predators in the Chesapeake Bay, can live up to 20 years and weigh as much as 100 pounds. They consume key commercial species, including blue crabs, rockfish, striped bass, and oysters, threatening biodiversity and the seafood industry in Maryland and Virginia. The MAWS Act seeks to mitigate these impacts by encouraging commercial harvesting through a pet food market.
“The Pet Food Institute, whose members make the vast majority of dog and cat food and treats in the U.S., is proud to endorse the MAWS Act, which establishes a pilot program enabling pet food makers to use Chesapeake Bay blue catfish as a high-quality ingredient in complete and balanced cat and dog food,” said the Pet Food Institute’s president and CEO, Dana Brooks. “PFI applauds Reps. Sarah Elfreth and Rob Wittman for introducing legislation that opens the door to a potential new pet food ingredient market while also offering local economic impact and environmental benefit.”
“The American Feed Industry Association is pleased to endorse the ‘Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act of 2025’ to encourage the commercial use of blue catfish harvested from the Chesapeake Bay, including use as a wholesome and nutritious ingredient in pet food,” said Leah Wilkinson, American Feed Industry Association’s Chief Policy Officer.
“This is exactly the kind of policy that makes a lasting difference. The MAWS Act creates a clear path to address a significant environmental problem while giving pet parents the chance to make a meaningful choice — one that’s good for pets, good for people, and good for the planet. I’m proud to support it,” said Aaron Merrell, CEO, CITIZEN’S Pet Products (Plato Pet Treats and Furry Republic).
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation, National Aquarium, American Sportfishing Association, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Choose Clean Water Coalition, Chesapeake Bay Commission, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and Maryland Sea Grant also support the legislation. “Blue catfish pose a clear and present danger to valuable native Bay species like blue crabs and striped bass. Finding and standing up new markets for this invasive species, like the pet and animal food industry, is essential to keeping its numbers in check. So is ensuring that it makes economic sense for watermen to catch them,” said Keisha Sedlacek, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Federal Director.
The pilot program builds on regional efforts to control blue catfish, which were introduced in the 1970s for recreational fishing but have since spread across Chesapeake Bay tributaries. Maryland and Virginia have explored processing grants and marketing campaigns to boost demand, though challenges like USDA inspection requirements persist. The MAWS Act aims to streamline these efforts, offering a scalable model for invasive species management.
