H.R. 4294 — MAWS Act of 2026

This section establishes a Blue Catfish Pilot Program within NOAA's Chesapeake Bay Office (which coordinates agency research, monitoring, data collection, regulatory, and management activities to support restoration of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem under the Chesapeake Bay Agreement). Under the pilot program, the Secretary of Commerce enters into cooperative agreements with covered entities to purchase blue catfish caught in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed from watermen or seafood processors at a minimum price per pound determined by the Secretary (considering market factors, participant feedback, and price differentiation for fillets and byproducts), with up to 15% of awarded amounts available to offset transportation costs to manufacturing or processing facilities. Watermen and processors must certify origin within the watershed to participate. Not later than 180 days after enactment, the Secretary seeks a memorandum of understanding with non-Federal partners to compile data for estimating blue catfish abundance and adjusting data collection; the Secretary publishes annual abundance estimates beginning September 30, 2027, through FY2032. Not later than 180 days after pilot termination, the Secretary reports to Congress on blue catfish population metrics (size, spawning stock biomass, size distribution, diet), program catches (number and pounds), environmental effects on other species, economic impacts on participating watermen (revenues from blue catfish and other species), market responses (awards and entity types), and covered entities' manufacturing, processing, and transportation practices.