I
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION 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
FEBRUARY7, 2025
Mr. W
IED(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 author-
ity of such Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sturgeon Protected 4
and Exempt from Absurd Regulations Act of 2025’’ or 5
the ‘‘SPEAR Act of 2025’’. 6
SEC. 2. EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN POPULATIONS OF LAKE 7
STURGEON UNDER ENDANGERED SPECIES 8
ACT OF 1973. 9
(a) F
INDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 10
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(1) The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) 1
holds a special place in the cultural fabric of Wis-2
consin, especially for the communities located on 3
Lake Winnebago and the Winnebago System. 4
(2) Through the staunch dedication and close 5
public-private collaboration of the Wisconsin Depart-6
ment of Natural Resources, Sturgeon for Tomorrow, 7
the Sturgeon Advisory Committee, the Sturgeon 8
Guard, and local fishing, sportsmen, and conserva-9
tion groups, Wisconsin has become the global leader 10
in lake sturgeon management. 11
(3) As a result of these efforts and the develop-12
ment and implementation of a comprehensive man-13
agement plan, the Lake Winnebago system is home 14
to a thriving lake sturgeon population, one of the 15
largest in North America, and the most successful 16
sustainable sturgeon fisheries in the world. 17
(4) An integral component of this management 18
plan is the annual sturgeon spearing season that is 19
meticulously managed and provides the data nec-20
essary, along with data from detailed spawning as-21
sessments, to maintain an accurate account of popu-22
lation levels needed and allowable maximum harvest 23
rates to ensure the health and sustainability of the 24
species. 25
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(5) Mandatory registration stations are estab-1
lished to collect detailed data on the length, weight, 2
sex, and tag status of each harvested fish and en-3
sure strict seasonal harvest caps are followed. 4
(6) The spearing season has grown into a 5
unique cultural event filled with strong traditions 6
and community ties, drawing participants from 7
throughout Wisconsin and many other States, and is 8
crucial to the livelihoods of local communities and 9
small businesses near the Winnebago System who 10
rely on the annual season. 11
(7) It is vital that this long-standing and cher-12
ished tradition be protected and that Wisconsin is 13
allowed to continue its successful Winnebago System 14
and statewide management of lake sturgeon. 15
(b) E
XCLUSIONFROMLISTING.—Section 4(a) of the 16
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1533(a)) is 17
amended— 18
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The Sec-19
retary shall by regulation’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as 20
provided in paragraph (4), the Secretary shall by 21
regulation’’; and 22
(2) by adding at the end the following: 23
‘‘(4) A
PPLICABILITY TOLAKESTURGEON.—The Sec-24
retary may not make a determination under this sub-25
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section that any population of the lake sturgeon 1
(Acipenser fulvescens) in Wisconsin is threatened or en-2
dangered.’’. 3
Æ
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