Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for considering this bill, the Great Lakes Fishery Research Reauthorization Act.

This bill would reauthorize critical Great Lakes research programs at $15 million per year for 5 years. I thank my colleague, Representative Huizenga, for his partnership on this bill in the House.

Protecting and restoring our Great Lakes has long been a bipartisan priority. I am proud of our work together on this topic. Lake Michigan is the pride and joy of Chicago, but the native ecosystems are at risk.

My colleagues might have noticed the poster behind me. This is a sea lamprey. They are not native to the Great Lakes, but they have found their way in. When left unchecked, they wreak havoc on our ecosystems. If this graphic doesn't convince my colleagues that we don't want these suckers in the Great Lakes, I am not sure what will.

Kind of like a giant leech, their suction-cup mouth clamps onto native fish species to feed on them. One sea lamprey can kill up to 40 pounds of Great Lakes fish over a 12- to 18-month feeding period, and that is just one of the threats we are currently up against.

Alongside the sea lamprey, there are over 60 invasive species in the Great Lakes. Those include zebra mussels, rusty crayfish, and round goby. They compete for the same resources and prey on native species. Many don't have natural predators in the Great Lakes. Without intervention, these invasive species will be ``eely'' bad for our native fish and plant populations.

Mr. Speaker, 61 native fish species are currently threatened or endangered. In the 1950s, the United States and Canada established the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to shore up our shared fisheries. Decades of overfishing, invasive species, and human impact on lakes threatened the native fish species and led to 20 species going extinct.

For all those in the region who depend on fisheries for food, livelihood, and sport, it is critical we continue to monitor the Great Lakes and our native fish species. The total value of commercial, recreational, and Tribal fishing in the Great Lakes is at least $5 billion. The industry supports an estimated 75,000 jobs across the region.

Research into the Great Lakes fishery provides us with the data and information necessary to manage fish populations, conduct habitat maintenance, roll out educational programs, and more.

For the last 5 years, this program has provided funds for the U.S. Geological Survey and, more specifically, the Great Lakes Science Center to conduct scientific research and invest in new technology.

With the help of this funding, the Great Lakes Science Center has field operations in five of the eight Great Lakes States, where it owns and operates a fleet of large research vessels to monitor the lakes and the fishery. This information is used to ensure that these crucial ecosystems stay healthy and productive.

Other researchers across the region rely on data collected over decades to analyze trends in the Great Lakes and help keep them healthy. Reauthorizing this program now will allow the Great Lakes Science Center to continue its research and provide datasets that are stable and reliable into the future.

The Senate has already passed this reauthorization. I encourage my colleagues to help get this bill over the finish line.

Lastly, I thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and in the Senate, including Senator Peters who introduced the version of the bill we will vote on today, and Senator Husted representing the great State of Ohio.

Mr. Speaker, I thank them for their consideration, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

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