Bill Details
HR.1150 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-07 - Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Introduced Date
2025-02-07
Policy Area
Animals
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
7
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would stop the federal government from listing any lake sturgeon populations in Wisconsin as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. It is meant to let Wisconsin keep managing these fish on its own, especially in the Lake Winnebago system, where lake sturgeon are said to be healthy and carefully monitored. The bill says these fish are important to local culture, conservation efforts, and the annual sturgeon spearing season.
- Congress says Wisconsin has built a strong lake sturgeon management program through cooperation between state officials, conservation groups, and local communities.
- The bill points to the Lake Winnebago system as having one of the largest lake sturgeon populations in North America and says the fishery there is being managed sustainably.
- It highlights the annual spearing season, including check-in stations and harvest limits, as a key way to track the population and keep the fishery healthy.
- The bill would bar the Interior Secretary from deciding that any Wisconsin population of lake sturgeon is threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Official Summaries
No summaries available
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1150 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1150
To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to exclude certain
populations of the lake sturgeon from the authority of such Act.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 7, 2025
Mr. Wied (for himself, Mr. Grothman, and Mr. Tiffany) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to exclude certain
populations of the lake sturgeon from the authority of such Act.
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 ``Sturgeon Protected and Exempt from
Absurd Regulations Act of 2025'' or the ``SPEAR Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN POPULATIONS OF LAKE STURGEON UNDER
ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT OF 1973.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) holds a
special place in the cultural fabric of Wisconsin, especially
for the communities located on Lake Winnebago and the Winnebago
System.
(2) Through the staunch dedication and close public-private
collaboration of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources,
Sturgeon for Tomorrow, the Sturgeon Advisory Committee, the
Sturgeon Guard, and local fishing, sportsmen, and conservation
groups, Wisconsin has become the global leader in lake sturgeon
management.
(3) As a result of these efforts and the development and
implementation of a comprehensive management plan, the Lake
Winnebago system is home to a thriving lake sturgeon
population, one of the largest in North America, and the most
successful sustainable sturgeon fisheries in the world.
(4) An integral component of this management plan is the
annual sturgeon spearing season that is meticulously managed
and provides the data necessary, along with data from detailed
spawning assessments, to maintain an accurate account of
population levels needed and allowable maximum harvest rates to
ensure the health and sustainability of the species.
(5) Mandatory registration stations are established to
collect detailed data on the length, weight, sex, and tag
status of each harvested fish and ensure strict seasonal
harvest caps are followed.
(6) The spearing season has grown into a unique cultural
event filled with strong traditions and community ties, drawing
participants from throughout Wisconsin and many other States,
and is crucial to the livelihoods of local communities and
small businesses near the Winnebago System who rely on the
annual season.
(7) It is vital that this long-standing and cherished
tradition be protected and that Wisconsin is allowed to
continue its successful Winnebago System and statewide
management of lake sturgeon.
(b) Exclusion From Listing.--Section 4(a) of the Endangered Species
Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``The Secretary shall by
regulation'' and inserting ``Except as provided in paragraph
(4), the Secretary shall by regulation''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) Applicability to Lake Sturgeon.--The Secretary may not make a
determination under this subsection that any population of the lake
sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Wisconsin is threatened or
endangered.''.
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