Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue Act

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter of support for the SHARKED Act, signed by 123 companies and organizations, including the American Sportfishing Association.

September 20, 2023.

Hon. Rob Wittman,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Garret Graves,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Darren Soto,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Marc Veasey,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Representatives Wittman, Soto, Graves and Veasey: As

businesses that have experienced the negative impacts of

shark depredation, we are writing to express our support for

the Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through

Research, Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue (SHARKED) Act.

Collectively we represent charter captains, tackle shop

owners, equipment manufacturers, and other sportfishing-

related business leaders. Saltwater recreational fishing is a

major economic driver in coastal communities throughout the

country, with more than 13 million saltwater anglers

supporting 595,000 jobs and generating $98 billion in sales

every year.

This bill brings focus to the increasing challenge of shark

depredation, which negatively impacts fishing experiences,

risks the safety of sharks and humans and threatens the

sustainability of fish populations.

Shark depredation occurs when a shark eats or damages a

hooked fish before an angler can reel in their catch. In

general, the possibility of depredation occurring is accepted

as a natural part of fishing. However, in recent years the

frequency of shark depredation has increased rapidly in many

parts of the country, likely due to increasing fishing

activity, increasing shark abundance and depredation becoming

a more frequently learned behavior.

As some of the nation's leading conservationists,

recreational fishermen firmly believe that safeguarding our

marine ecosystem is of utmost importance. Sharks play a vital

role in maintaining balance in the marine ecosystem. However,

shark depredation is escalating to a level that is

detrimental to all involved, exposing sharks to potentially

harmful fishing gear and putting anglers in dangerously close

proximity to these apex predators. As the rate of shark

depredation has increased, fishermen have become increasingly

frustrated by the issue and a lack of response from the

fisheries management community. It is a complex issue with no

simple solution, but there are policy, research, management

and education tactics that warrant exploration to help

mitigate the issue. Shark depredation touches on many federal

and state jurisdictions. Unfortunately, because no single

entity has responsibility to address it, very little is being

done.

The SHARKED Act would establish a task force that would be

responsible for improving coordination and communication

across the fisheries management community on shark

depredation, as well as identifying research priorities and

funding opportunities. This bill would be a critical first

step toward addressing shark depredation nationally and

establishing foundational knowledge that can be used to

improve future management, education and research actions.

By implementing efforts to minimize interactions between

sharks and anglers, the SHARKED Act will advance conservation

for the benefit of sharks, anglers, fisheries and the

economy. We are grateful for your support of this bill and

for providing a voice to the recreational fishing industry.

Sincerely,

Carl Abissi, National Manager, Dexter Outdoors,

Southbridge, MA; Steve Atkinson, President, Virginia

Saltwater Sportfishing Association, Midlothian, VA; Hunter

Avery, Key Accounts Manager, Jones and Company, Stuart, FL;

Eric L Bachnik, President, L&S Bait Company, Largo, FL; Will

Benson, Owner, World Angling, Key West, FL; Gregory Bogdan,

Owner/Captain, Permitted, Inc., North Palm Beach, FL; Bryan

Boyle, Captain, Dedicated, LLC.; Jupiter, FL.

Scott Brown, Owner, Push it Good Inshore Fishing Charters,

Destin, FL; Tad Burke, Captain, The Wild Side Guides,

Tavernier, FL; Brandon Carter, Owner, Fathom Offshore,

Wilmington, NC; Nicholas Castillo, Captain, Castillo

Charters, LLC., Islamorada, FL; John Chauvin, Sr., Owner.

Fin-tastic Charters, Grand Isle, LA; Louis Chemi, Vice

President. Freedom Boat Club, Venice, FL; Dennis Clark,

Owner, Frontier Sales and Marketing Group, LLC., Katy, TX.

Eric Cosby, Vice President, Top Brass Tackle, Starkville,

MS; John Crews, President/Owner, Missile Baits, Salem, VA;

Mike Cyr, Captain, C Hawk Charters, Key West, FL; Bill

Dantuono, Owner, Offshore Naples, Naples, FL; Adam Debruin,

Captain, Red Hook Fishing, Tavernier, FL; Mike Delzingo,

Owner, Fishbucket Sportfishing, Boston, MA; GW De Pauw,

Captain, Captain GW Guide Service, Tavernier, FL.

Joe Diebold, Outfitter, Bass Pro, Apollo Beach, FL; Paul

Diggins, Owner/Captain, Reel Pursuit Charters, Charlestown,

MA; Michael Dixon, Vice President, Engel Coolers, Jupiter,

FL; Robert Dufek, Sales Manager, Shimano, Ladson, SC; Aaron

Dykes, CEO & Captain, Triple D Charters, Tavernier, FL;

Brian Esposito, President, Skiff Guide Charter Service,

Hollywood, FL; Drue Eymann, Owner/Captain, Keys on The

Fly, LLC., Key West, FL.

Bill Falconer, President/CEO, Anglers Resource, Foley, AL;

Richard Fischer, Executive Director, Louisiana Charter Boat

Association, Metairie, LA; Tammy Foshee, OEM Manager, GSM

Outdoors, Georgetown, GA; Thomas Fote, Legislative Chairman,

Jersey Coast Anglers Association, Toms River, NJ; Steve

Friedman, Owner, A Fishing Guide, LLC., Islamorada, FL;

Patrick Gill, CEO. TackleDirect, Egg Harbor Township, NJ;

Austin Glassman, Captain, Gladesman Charters, Tavernier, FL.

Alan Gnann, President, REC Components, Stafford Springs,

CT; Lain Goodwin, Owner/Captain, Dirty Waters Charters, Inc.,

Key Largo, FL; Scott Gregg, Captain/Owner, Wreckless Sport

Fishing, Mechanicsville, VA; Mike Guerin, Owner, Capt.

Michael Guerin, Big Pine Key, FL; Chris Hanson, Owner, Scales

2 Tales, LLC., Key Largo, FL; Jim Hardin, Government

Relations Manager, Grady-White Boats, Inc., Greenville, NC;

Richard Hastings, Captain, Capt. Rich Hastings, Islamorada,

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge support of my bill, H.R. 4051, the Supporting the Health of Aquatic Systems through Research Knowledge, and Enhanced Dialogue Act, also known as the SHARKED Act.

Picture this: A charter boat fisherman takes a group of excited anglers 90 miles off the coast in hopes of reeling in a yellow fin tuna, a snapper, or grouper, or even ensure reeling in a tarpon.

One of the individuals hooks the first fish and starts to fight to reel it in. However, before the fish ever gets to the boat, sharks have completely consumed the fish, all the way up to the gill plates.

This phenomenon is called depredation, which occurs when sharks interfere with fishing activities.

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, 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, 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 depredation with clients, resulting in negative impacts on their businesses.

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

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

This bill establishes a fisheries management task force to focus on identifying research opportunities, recommending management strategies, and developing educational materials for fishermen.

This legislation will help fishermen understand which species of sharks have higher rates of depredation and where you are most likely to run into that species.

It will serve first as a major step in improving communication and coordination among fisheries managers in addressing shark depredation nationwide.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to passing this bill through the committee and further consideration on the floor, which is where we are today. It has been a great process.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4051) to direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a task force regarding shark depredation, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 4051, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4051, sponsored by my friend and colleague, Congressman Rob Wittman of Virginia.

Concerns over shark depredation are increasingly common. From fishermen in the Florida Keys and throughout the Gulf of Mexico whose prized snapper or grouper catch was eaten by a shark, to charter boat captains in North Carolina's Outer Banks fishing offshore, shark interactions can be frustrating for anglers as they result in loss of catch, damaged gear, and degraded fishing experiences, and may also impact the post-release survival of target fish.

While the number of reports of depredation have increased, the underlying cause of the increase remains uncertain. It could be due to an increase in the number of sharks, as stocks rebuild, or learned behavior by sharks as they recognize motors, fishing techniques, or shark-feeding locations as a source of food.

We simply do not have enough information.

To make matters worse, shark depredation touches on many Federal and State jurisdictions, but because no single entity has a responsibility to address it, very little is being done.

H.R. 4051 would require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a task force to address shark depredation.

The task force membership would include representatives from Regional Fishery Management Councils, the Marine Fisheries Commissions, the State fish and wildlife agencies from the States within the Regional Fishery Management Councils, NOAA, and shark experts from the Fisheries Service, and non-Federal experts.

During committee consideration of this legislation, the minority worked closely with two of the bill's sponsors, Mr. Wittman and Mr. Graves, to make modest changes by including more engagement with the scientific community engaged in shark research and clarifying that the findings and work done by the task force do not impact the Secretary of Commerce's responsibilities under the Endangered Species Act or the Magnuson-Stevens Act.

The legislation will help the Federal Government further understand, identify, and address critical needs as they relate to shark depredation.

I applaud Mr. Wittman for his work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wittman), the bill's sponsor.

Mr. Speaker, I have experienced what Mr. Wittman was talking about; you know, excited to be reeling in a fish, and you get it to the boat, and you maybe have a couple of lips and an eyeball and part of a gill. That is all that is left. I don't get to fish offshore that much, but I can tell you it can be disappointing, and that is why it is important to do this research.

I appreciate the gentleman bringing the bill before us.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), who is quite the fisherman himself.

Mr. Speaker, I am sure living in Florida you have probably stood on the edge of a boat and asked that question: Why? Why did a shark eat my fish? What was it that motivated it? Is it because there are too many sharks? Is it something I did? It leaves you with this empty feeling.

This legislation is here to answer that question. It is simple legislation. It creates a task force that would be responsible for improving coordination and communication across the fisheries management community on shark depredation, as well as identifying research priorities and funding opportunities.

Again, I commend Congressman Wittman for his tireless work on fisheries issues and for his work on this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4051, the SHARKED Act, would establish a new task force led by the National Marine Fisheries Service to identify shark conservation needs and depredation research.

Sharks are critical to healthy ocean ecosystems.

As the apex predators of the ocean, they help shape marine food webs and are a key indicator of ocean health.

Many shark species are, unfortunately, also threatened or endangered.

Oceanic sharks and rays have declined by 71 percent since 1970, and three-quarters of these wide-ranging species are threatened.

While some shark populations are recovering, scientists predict that nearly 100 million sharks are still killed each year, and current levels of fishing pressure will cause the majority of shark populations to continue declining.

According to the IUCN, half of the coastal sharks and rays are threatened with extinction, primarily due to overfishing.

A fundamental lack of understanding of shark biology and ecological importance, combined with fear, was partially responsible for dramatic increases in the recreational harvest of sharks in the United States in the 1970s and the 1980s.

Any effort to address shark depredation, therefore, needs to be considered in light of recovering shark populations and the threats that sharks face from heightened fishing pressure and climate change.

Through the committee process, we have been able to significantly improve this legislation. However, I recognize there are still some legitimate concerns about whether this legislation goes far enough to ensure good outcomes for shark populations and is not a slippery slope towards increasing shark harvests.

I am grateful that the majority worked with us to amend the original bill text, ensuring that the focus is placed on changing angler behavior and managing expectations, as well as building out the scientific understanding of shark ecology and the impacts of climate change on predators and prey in the ocean.

Recently, Australian researchers found that the use of non-lethal deterrents and simple changes in angler behavior are proven to reduce the probability of sharks taking fish by 65 percent.

NOAA has funded similar studies in the United States but admitted in the legislative hearing on this bill that depredation research is complex and requires sustained investment due to the high intelligence and adaptability of sharks.

Notably, this bill doesn't include funding. Without it, NOAA will be unable to fund much more than what they are currently doing to address shark conservation and depredation.

I hope my colleagues who support this bill will also work with us to ensure robust funding for shark conservation priorities, like increased shark stock assessments.

This bill should promote greater collaboration between the fishing community and shark researchers to reduce risks to sharks and humans from depredation events and build out our understanding of the importance of sharks and how to conserve them.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, I am prepared to close, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, nothing ruins a great day like the tax man. Nothing ruins a great day like the tax man, and I am not talking about the IRS. I am talking about when you are out there fishing, and you have this big shark that just comes up and takes your catch.

You have great fishermen like Mr. Wittman and Mr. Westerman, and maybe it is not that big of a deal; your next cast you are going catch another one. But you have people out there who don't know what they are doing, like Mr. Joyce of Ohio; it is a whole other thing. You just ruined his day.

What happens is--as Mr. Wittman clearly laid out--you will be out there, and you may be on a red snapper, you may be out there in some mangrove, and you are just catching fish; that is dinner.

This is an amazing experience. As Mr. Wittman noted, this is about economic activity all across the coastal United States. One of the biggest gaps, one of the biggest voids in our ability to properly manage fisheries is knowing more, knowing better about the impact of this apex predator, the shark.

I want to be very clear. This bill is not about culling species. It is not about killing sharks. What it is about is simply ensuring that we have the right data, that we have the right understanding to build properly managed fisheries, and to be able to ensure we can promote avoidance techniques to prevent this depredation from occurring.

I thank the gentleman from Virginia, who is an expert in this field, Mr. Wittman, and I thank Mr. Soto and Mr. Veasey, some of the cosponsors on this legislation, for their support, but this is all about improving the accuracy of fish management.

It benefits recreational fisheries, it benefits commercial fisheries, and, most importantly, Mr. Speaker, it benefits the sustainable fisheries, the sustainable stocks of some of these important areas like the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico, and other areas.

Again, I thank my friend from Virginia for his hard work on this legislation. I thank Chairman Westerman for working with us and some of the great staff on his team, Vivian and Sandra. I thank Anderson on our staff, as well as Rachel on Ranking Member Grijalva's staff for their work in coming together to make sure that we have the right balance here.

This is all about ensuring that for generations to come that our children and our grandchildren can enjoy the same experiences that we have for many, many years.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation.