Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act of 2026

Floor Speech

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Mr. SELF. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4294, and I am here to represent the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Harris) in his opposition to H.R. 4294.

I include a letter titled ``Coalition Letter from Maryland Blue Catfish Processors Opposing the MAWS Act.'' March 12, 2026.

Coalition Letter From Maryland Blue Catfish Processors Opposing the MAWS Act

We write as a coalition of small, family-owned seafood processing businesses, which are among the only facilities in Maryland actively processing blue catfish for human consumption, to express our serious concerns with the proposed MAWS Act introduced by Representative Sarah K. Elfreth and co-led by Representative Robert J. Wittman.

For several years, our businesses have worked alongside the Maryland Department of Agriculture and other state and federal partners to invest significant time and financial resources into building a viable commercial market for wild- caught blue catfish. This effort has required overcoming longstanding public stigma and educating consumers that blue catfish is not only safe, but a highquality and desirable protein-rich seafood product. Progress has been hard-won.

The MAWS Act, however well-intentioned, risks undermining this progress by shifting public messaging toward the use of blue catfish primarily for pet food or similar byproducts. Headlines suggesting that blue catfish is destined for pet food damage consumer perception and directly threaten the emerging market for human consumption--the very market that sustains Maryland watermen, processors, and our Bay communities. Our shared goal has always been to add value to this fishery, increase demand, and raise dockside prices so that watermen are incentivized to harvest more invasive blue catfish from Maryland waters.

It is also important to note that the utilization of processing byproducts for rendering or pet food is already occurring through existing private-sector relationships that we have worked hard to establish, typically at prices between $0.10 and $0.20 per pound. Government subsidies directed toward a new, bureaucratically-selected recipient would therefore not create innovation, but instead introduce market distortion and unfair competitive advantage--jeopardizing longstanding partnerships and destabilizing an industry that is only beginning to succeed.

Currently, many processors struggle to secure sufficient supply to meet growing consumer demand. Introducing a government-funded competitor capable of paying above-market prices for whole fish would further strain supply chains and place small Maryland processors at significant risk. Fish in the one- to two-pound range, as well as larger specimens, are already valuable components of our processing operations and product lines, despite misleading claims made by entities like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

We are equally troubled by the legislative process that produced this proposal without meaningful consultation from the processors who have pioneered Maryland's on-the-ground response to the blue catfish invasion. Members of our coalition attempted outreach to Representative Elfreth's office but were unfortunately met with a resistance to engage in substantive dialogue regarding the bill's impacts on private industry.

Ultimately, we share the goal of addressing the ecological challenges posed by invasive blue catfish and strengthening Maryland's seafood economy. However, we believe public funds would be far more effective if directed toward initiatives that can help the watermen, the processors, and the people in our working waterfront communities. For example, USDA grant funding secured by Congressman Andy Harris has helped several Maryland processors to make investments into costly new facilities upgrades that we otherwise would not have been able to make. New programs should build upon, not undercut, investments that have already been made by taxpayers.

Without a strong processing sector, Maryland cannot sustain a viable blue catfish industry. We remain ready and willing to work collaboratively with Representative Elfreth, Representative Wittman, and other sponsors of this legislation to identify policies that genuinely support watermen, processors, and working waterfront communities while continuing to remove invasive blue catfish from the Chesapeake Bay. Sincerely, Nick Hargrove,

Tilghman Island Seafood, Tilghman, MD. Stephanie Pazzaglia,

J.J. McDonnell Seafood, Elkridge, MD. Amanda Williams,

BSA Seafood, Grasonville, MD. Patrick Welsh Jr.,

Reliant Fish Company, Jessup, MD.

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Mr. SELF. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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