WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) successfully passed an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2021Agriculture Appropriations bill that would provide $1 million in funding to pay for USDA mandated inspections of wild caught invasive species, including the blue catfish. The blue catfish is threatening the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem and is not native to the Bay.
Congressman Harris made the following statement:
"I am pleased that the Appropriations Committee adopted my amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations Bill providing $1 million in funding for the inspection of the wild caught blue catfish invasive species, including in the Chesapeake Bay. This amendment will reduce significant burdens on our watermen seeking to catch, and bring to market, these edible invasive fish, and serves both economic and conservation objectives. My amendment responds to concerns from fishermen and Bay conservation advocates that the requirement that fishermen pay for on-site USDA inspectors is not affordable or practical, and creates a disincentive to removing this destructive species from the Bay. This funding will further our goals of conservation of the Bay while allowing a product to be brought to market that is both plentiful and commercially in demand.”
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6 comments:
Put a $5 no-limit bounty on each Blue and see how fast the million disappears and how much better off the Bay would be for it.
The catfish will never be eradicated through fishing, but with a bounty in place and hungry people out there to collect it and eat their catch, the invasive species population will be reduced and the money will be well spent.
Typical doofus politicians. How about you just remove the USDA inspection requirement and save us our 1million in tax dollars?
Why you all want to be discriminatin’ gainst a fish cause he blue? Or is it y’all’ don’t be liken’ cats?
Dats racist yo!
Ain’t nothin’ invasive no more.
Put the bounty on it, I'll earn a living catching them.
9 AM you are spot on--this is how a dysfunctional gov works
$800-900k will go into the pockets of elected officials. The other $100-200k will pay for meals for said officials while they discuss their plans for the loot they were handed.
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