Supporting the Health of Aquatic Systems Through Research Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge support for my bill, H.R. 207, the Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue Act, also known as the SHARKED Act. As a lifelong recreational fisherman, I am particularly passionate about this bill.

Picture this: A charter boat fisherman takes an excited group of anglers 90 miles off the coast in hopes of reeling in a bluefin tuna, tarpon, or other big game species. One of the individuals hooks the first fish and starts to fight to reel it in, but before the fish ever gets to the boat, sharks have bitten and eaten the fish. This phenomenon is called depredation, which occurs when sharks interfere with fishing activities. It is essentially a massive impact on the coastal recreational fishing industry, especially the charter industry.

Shark depredation is accepted as a natural part of fishing, but it has become a widespread issue in our waters and has increased rapidly in recent years.

During the House Natural Resources Committee hearing for the SHARKED Act last year, we heard from experts discussing the impact of this phenomenon.

According to the American Sportfishing Association, 52.4 million people went fishing in the United States in 2023, supporting 826,000 jobs and contributing $129 billion to the economy.

The American Sportfishing Association also found that 87 percent of charter guides surveyed said they experienced depredations with clients, resulting in negative impacts on their business.

Anglers are losing their catch and tackle to sharks at alarming rates, and they are understandably becoming increasingly frustrated by it.

I introduced the SHARKED Act to study this issue and evaluate how we can improve sportfishing conditions for anglers while protecting sharks.

This bill establishes a fishery management task force to focus on identifying research opportunities, recommending management strategies, and developing educational materials for fishermen. The task force's membership would be appointed by the Secretary of Commerce and include representatives from the Regional Fishery Management Councils, marine fisheries commissions, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and State fish and wildlife agencies, as well as folks who enjoy recreational fishing.

This legislation will help fishermen and -women understand which species of sharks have higher rates of depredation and where you are most likely to run into that species. It will also serve as the first major step in improving communication and coordination among fisheries managers in addressing shark depredation nationwide.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 207.

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