Reintroduced into the House in spring 2024, the Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue Act of 2025 is supported by the recreational fishing industry and lobby bemoaning shark depredation on their catch. Depredation is considered when a shark gets the fish before a fisherman can land it. Basically, its sharks being sharks. The bill could could have serious impacts on shark populations in all US waters. While ostensibly having Congress create a task force to examine shark depredation and human interactions, it has the potential to open protected areas or fishing for sharks. Without little scientific merit or credible support, the SHARKED Act language is a thinly veiled approach to open fishing on protected species and green-light shark culls, tournaments and sportfishing for sharks in US waters. There is also a proposal to shutdown a multimillion shark tourism industry in Florida.

We encourage the US Congress of coastal communities in the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific, and specifically the Senate when considering a task force under the SHARKED Act, to include the scientific and conservation community in all US waters to support research, balancing sound science and conservation.

Read more about the SHARKED Act.

Find Your Senator and give your comments BEFORE it reaches the full Senate.

Shark Stewards is filing comments and is the lead conservation organization watching this Bill- and making sure Science supercedes sport.