Congress is finally addressing real matters. No, not the pesky deficit, but sharks stealing fishermen's catches.
It's been an annoyance for fishermen everywhere, especially along coastal states. But sharks have been snatching fish from their lines before they've had a chance to reel them in. Now Congress is baking the bipartisan SHARKED Act, which stands for Supporting the Health of Aquatic Ecosystems through Research, Knowledge, and Enhanced Dialogue. The Act would examine how to deal with these sharks snatching food away from fishermen.
Outdoor Life talked with some captains about the issue back in 2024. So let's see what the experts over there have to tell us.
Sharks In The Water
"Feeding sharks with the fish we hook is an everyday occurrence for me and just about every other charter captain I know in the Florida Keys," Capt. Joel Brandenburg told Outdoor Life. "The sharks roaming ledges and reefs are trained to come to fishing boats and hang there waiting for an easy meal."
The 2025 SHARKED Act passed the House in January and also the Senate in July. So it's set to examine this hard-hitting issue affecting Americans everywhere. After all, when we can no longer afford groceries, we'll be turning to the sea to catch our own meals.
The Act would establish a task force made of fisheries managers and scientists to examine how they can stop this from happening.
"Historically, we didn't have these encounters with sharks, so people are a little nervous," said Kellie Ralston, public policy vice president for the Miami-based Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. "An important part of the conversation is understanding why we are seeing such an increase in interactions between sharks and anglers. Is it something we would expect with population rebound in general? Or have we overcorrected, and [now] we're top heavy on sharks versus fish? That's what the task force needs to address."
The shark species appears to be in the middle of a population boom, and they're hungry. Hopefully, they don't hit a tornado system and form a Sharknado. I don't even know if Congress would be equipped to handle that one.
