New Bill Proposes Task Force to Tackle Shark 'Depredation' and Improve Fishery Interactions

This part of the SHARKED Act of 2025 aims to get a better handle on what's happening when sharks interact with fishing activities, specifically focusing on 'depredation' – that's the term for when a shark snags a fish someone has already hooked. The bill proposes setting up a dedicated Shark Depredation Task Force, bringing together folks from regional fishery councils, state wildlife agencies, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and researchers specializing in sharks.

Digging into the 'Why' and 'How'

The task force's main job, according to Section 2(a)(3), is to boost communication between fishery managers and shark scientists and figure out what research needs doing. Think of it like a study group trying to understand which shark species are involved most often, why they might be getting used to human activity, and how fishing practices themselves might be playing a role. They'll also look into developing non-lethal ways to deter sharks and study the bigger picture, like the role healthy shark populations play in the ocean and how climate change might be shifting things.

From Study Hall to the Water

It's not just about research papers, though. The task force is also charged with developing actual management strategies to reduce these interactions and creating educational materials for the fishing community (Section 2(a)(3)(D)). The idea is to translate the research findings into practical advice and potential rule changes to help fishermen minimize losing their catch to sharks, ideally without harming the sharks themselves. This section also formally adds studying shark depredation to the list of research projects eligible under the existing Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Section 2(b)).

Keeping Track and Wrapping Up

To ensure things stay on track, the task force has to report its findings to Congress every two years. However, it's not a permanent fixture; the bill includes a sunset clause (Section 2(a)(5)), meaning the task force will wrap up its work no later than seven years after it starts. While bringing different groups together is key, the mix of fishery managers and scientists will need to find common ground to ensure recommendations balance conservation needs with fishing interests. The focus is clearly on understanding and managing interactions, funded partially through taxpayer dollars, with the ultimate effectiveness depending on the research quality and the practicality of the strategies developed.