July 1, 2026
by David McGuire
A coordinated political effort is underway in Florida today to increase the number of sharks being killed for sport, all while hiding behind the guise of public safety and conservation. Through a web of contradictory legislation, aggressive lobbying, and proposed federal rule changes, sharks off the coast of Florida and the Eastern Seaboard are facing a renewed and unprecedented threat.
Here is what you need to know about the war on sharks in the Sunshine State—and how you can help fight back.
The “Safe Seas Act”: Banning Science, Protecting Slaughter
In June 2025, Florida Representatives Daniel Webster (FL-11) and Darren Soto (FL-09) introduced the Florida Safe Seas Act (H.R. 3831). The legislation seeks to prohibit shark feeding in Florida’s federal waters—the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles offshore.The Florida Safe Seas Act (H.R. 3831) passed the U.S. House of Representatives by voice vote on June 2, 2026. It is currently in the Senate, where it was received and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Proponents claim the bill will protect the public from shark encounters and prevent sharks from becoming “human-conditioned.” But an examination oft the fine print shows the bill bans feeding sharks for diving, ecotourism, education, or scientific research, but explicitly protects the right of anglers to chum and bait waters to catch and kill them.
If passed, it would be illegal to attract a shark to a boat to tag it for conservation research or to safely view it on a dive charter, but entirely legal to feed that same shark a baited hook to mount it on a wall.
Worth More Alive Than Dead
A 2017 report by Oceana highlighted a stark contrast: while living sharks drove $221 million for Florida’s dive industry, the total value of the U.S. shark fin export market during that same period was only $1.03 million. Alive and in the water, sharks are worth significantly more to the state’s economy than they are dead.
The “Depredation” Excuse and the SHARKED Act
To understand why politicians are pushing the Safe Seas Act, you have to understand the current obsession with depredation—the term used when a shark eats a fish off an angler’s line before it can be reeled in.
Recreational fishermen claim they are losing their catch to sharks, and rather than adapting their fishing practices, they are claiming that shark populations have “exploded.” In reality, NOAA has documented that U.S. Atlantic shark populations have been on a steep decline since the 1980s.
Instead of following the science, politicians are pandering to the fishing industry. Enter the SHARKED Act (Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue Act), aggressively pushed by Florida Senators Ashley Moody and Rick Scott. The bill sets up a federal task force specifically to tackle the depredation “crisis,” placing fisheries management heavily in the hands of those who view sharks merely as a nuisance stealing their prized catches.
The Lobby Behind the Push
This legislative push isn’t happening in a vacuum. It is the result of millions of dollars and relentless pressure from powerful sportfishing lobbies that want less regulation and more access to the ocean’s apex predators. The primary groups pulling the strings include:
- Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Florida: A massive recreational fishing lobby that has heavily endorsed the SHARKED Act and consistently advocates for reducing shark populations to protect game fish.
- American Sportfishing Association: The trade association for the sportfishing industry, which throws its significant financial weight behind deregulatory bills like the Safe Seas Act.
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC): While a state agency, the FWC frequently aligns with the sportfishing lobby, supporting measures that expand angler access while cracking down on ecotourism and diving operations.
NMFS Proposals: Deregulation in Disguise
Adding fuel to the fire, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) recently introduced a proposed rule in early 2026 regarding “Revisions to Commercial Atlantic Blacknose and Recreational Atlantic Shark Fisheries Management Measures.”
Historically, recreational anglers were restricted to a blanket one-shark-per-vessel limit and a 54-inch minimum size limit for most non-prohibited species. The new NMFS proposal seeks to dismantle this straightforward conservation measure. By grouping sharks into new categories, the rule would give NMFS the “flexibility” to lower minimum size limits based on female maturity and increase bag limits for species they deem abundant—such as blacktip and spinner sharks—potentially allowing up to 3 or 4 sharks per vessel.
Coupled with the Trump administration’s overarching directives to regional fishery management councils to “reduce the regulatory burden” on fisheries, these proposed rules are a clear pathway to legally increasing the slaughter of sharks for sport.
Take Action Today
We cannot let the sportfishing lobby write the rules for ocean conservation. As Shark Stewards, we must demand that ocean policy be guided by peer-reviewed science, not the frustrations of anglers losing a catch.
- Contact Your Representatives: If you live in Florida, call Rep. Daniel Webster and Rep. Darren Soto. Tell them you oppose the hypocritical Florida Safe Seas Act (H.R. 3831). Emphasize that banning ecotourism and scientific research while allowing chumming for sportfishing is not conservation.
- Speak Out on the SHARKED Act: Contact your Senators and tell them that shark depredation is a natural occurrence, not an excuse to cull apex predators.
- Submit Public Comments to NMFS: When NMFS opens comment periods for recreational shark management, demand that they maintain strict vessel limits. “Flexibility” should not be a backdoor for increased recreational slaughter.
Sharks have been patrolling our oceans for 400 million years. They don’t need to be “managed” by the people trying to catch them—they need to be protected.
SOURCES
Fedler, A. J. (2017). The Economic Impact of Shark Diving in Florida. Commissioned by Oceana.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) =2026 “Revisions to Commercial Atlantic Blacknose and Recreational Atlantic Shark Fisheries Management Measures.”