SHARKED Act of 2025

This legislation creates a national task force in the Department of Commerce to study and reduce “shark depredation,” which is when a shark takes some or all of a hooked fish off the line before you reel it in. The group will bring together fishery managers, coastal state wildlife agencies, federal experts, and shark scientists to share information, set research priorities, recommend fixes, and coordinate education for the fishing community on safer, non‑lethal ways to cut down shark interactions.

Key points

• Who is involved: representatives from every Regional Fishery Management Council and Marine Fisheries Commission, coastal state fish and wildlife agencies, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and experts in shark behavior, ecology, and highly migratory species.
• What changes: sets research goals (which shark species are involved, stock health, how sharks get used to people, how angler behavior and rules affect interactions, non‑lethal deterrents, sharks’ role in the food web, and climate impacts), recommends management strategies, and creates education materials for anglers; also supports research projects to better understand why depredation increases and how to reduce it .
• When: the task force reports to Congress within two years and then every two years; it ends no later than seven years after it is created.
• Where: applies across U.S. coastal states and territories, including those on the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Gulf of Mexico, and Long Island Sound, plus Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.