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Farm groups tell Congress localized bird depredation is costing producers and seek statutory relief
Summary
Witnesses from Mississippi and commercial fisheries told a House subcommittee that double‑crested cormorants and black vultures are inflicting measurable economic harm on catfish and cattle producers, and they urged reissued depredation orders and bills such as the Cormorant Relief Act to provide timely relief.
Producers and industry advocates told the House Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries that some recovered bird species are imposing acute local damages that current tools do not adequately address.
Mike McCormick, president of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, testified about black vulture attacks on newborn calves, describing violent predation and long recovery costs for producers. He cited state and federal research that he said shows more than $2 million in annual calf losses in Mississippi and connected recent avian influenza spread at a broiler farm to a sequence of vulture encounters.
McCormick and other witnesses also described heavy impacts from double‑crested cormorants on aquaculture. McCormick said catfish farmers spend roughly $285 per acre on harassment measures and that industry losses tied to bird depredation can reach tens of millions annually; testimony cited a figure of up to $65 million for industry‑wide impacts.
Members pressed how statutory change might help. Representative Rizzo discussed H.R. 2293, the Cormorant Relief Act, which would direct Interior to reissue a depredation order allowing aquaculture producers to take cormorants actively damaging facilities. McCormick and other witnesses argued harassment and case‑by‑case permits are too slow or ineffective when predation occurs suddenly.
Witnesses and members agreed on one point: localized conflicts require targeted, timely tools that allow producers to protect livestock and crops while conserving species at broader scales. No statutory change was enacted at the hearing; members indicated they would continue to pursue legislative options.
