Why It Matters: Along much of the nation’s coastline, sharks are increasingly intercepting fish being landed by recreational and commercial fishermen, creating frustration for anglers and challenges for fisheries sustainability. The Senate version of the SHARKED Act, a bill strongly supported by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) which would establish a task force to bring experts and academia to the table to find solutions, was recently passed by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Highlights:
- Sharks have become increasingly problematic for recreational and commercial fisheries in the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Islands.
- The SHARKED Act ( 2314), which recently passed out of Senate committee, would establish a task force to explore opportunities to minimize interactions between sharks and anglers.
- CSF has made the SHARKED Act among the organization’s top priorities with Members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus in the 119th
On July 30, the Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research, Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue Act or SHARKED Act, led by Sen. Rick Scott (FL) and Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus Member Sen. Brian Schatz (HI) was reported favorably out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. This bill focuses on the growing trend of shark depredation, which not only threatens the sustainability of fish populations but also threatens the safety of both humans and sharks.
In recent years, particularly in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of America, and Pacific Islands, the frequency of sharks intercepting fish being landed by anglers and commercial fishermen has increased substantially. As apex predators, sharks play an important role in our natural marine ecosystems. However, hooked fish being landed by anglers or commercial fishermen creates an unnatural and easy meal for sharks. As the rate of shark depredation has increased, fishermen have become increasingly frustrated by the issue and a continued lack of response from the fisheries management community.
The bipartisan SHARKED Act would simply establish a non-regulatory task force that would be responsible for making recommendations for improving coordination and communication across the fisheries management community on shark depredation, as well as identifying research priorities and funding opportunities.
CSF applauds Sens. Scott and Schatz and members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation for advancing the bill in the Senate. The House version of the bill has already passed out of the House. One final vote by the full Senate on S. 2314 will send the legislation to the President’s desk, finally clearing the way for the development of real solutions to the growing shark depredation problem.
