Senate committee passes bill that aims to stop sharks stealing fish from anglers

A Senate committee voted Wednesday to pass a bill that aims to stop sharks from biting fish on fishing lines.

The so-called SHARKED Act will create a task force to study shark behavior and make recommendations accordingly. The vote before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation was passed by voice Wednesday morning.

The task force will have to report back within two years on improving coordination and communication across the fisheries management and shark research communities, and develop strategies to address shark depredation, which is defined as the partial or complete removal of a hooked fish by a shark directly from a fishing line.

However, wildlife advocacy groups say the bill “falls short by not explicitly forbidding the task force from proposing shark culls or population reductions as a solution,” which would leave the door open to killing sharks.

“While it can be frustrating to have a shark bite your catch while fishing, shark populations are in trouble. Globally, sharks have declined by 71 percent since 1970, primarily due to overfishing,” the group said in a statement.

Earth Justice highlights that factors including overfishing of sharks by industrial as well as human-caused climate change and pollution has proved devastating to populations.

“While certain shark populations are beginning to recover, it’s crucial to remember the principle of shifting baselines,” said Jasmin Graham, President and CEO of Minorities in Shark Sciences. “Even though there may be more sharks than in recent history, we’re still far below historic levels.”

According to an online summary of the bill, the duties of the task force are to develop ways to improve coordination and communication across the fisheries management and shark research communities, as well as identifying research priorities and funding opportunities.

It will also develop recommended management strategies to address shark depredation and coordinate the development and distribution of educational materials.

The bill specifies that the task force must include representatives of each Regional Fishery Management Council, each Marine Fisheries Commission, the fish and wildlife agencies of coastal states, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The task force must also include “researchers and others with relevant expertise,” but does not specify who such others may be.

Earth Justice says that this “fails to include representation from Indigenous, tribal and native people, even though sharks are considered sacred to some, according to Earth Justice.

The task force must report its findings to Congress within two years after the bill's enactment and every two years thereafter until the task force is terminated.

“Depredation is a complex issue, one that reflects the health of our ocean ecosystems as a whole,” adds Graham. “As fish populations decline, both sharks and fishers are competing for the same limited resources.

“Sharks are becoming habituated to areas with fishing boats, chum, and bait, while increasingly effective fishing gear is putting pressure on the system and increasing the possibility of interactions. As we address this issue, we must tread carefully.

“We must ensure that our efforts to address shark depredation don’t undo the progress we’ve made or ignore the deeper, underlying causes of these challenges.”