In June 2025, Florida Representatives Daniel Webster (FL-11) and Darren Soto (FL-09) proposed a law that would ban feeding sharks in federal waters off Florida. Aimed at reducing shark-human interactions and “depredation” (stealing fish from anglers), the Florida Safe Seas Act of 2025 (H.R. 3831) would prohibit using bait to attract sharks for diving or tourism.
Introduced in 2025, the Florida Safe Seas Act would amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to ban shark feeding in Florida’s federal waters, known as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The EEZ extends outside the state 3 mile limit to 200 nautical miles offshore, where the U.S. controls fishing and conservation activities (NOAA, 2020). If passed, the law would prohibit shark feeding for tourism, education, or research, while still allowing shark fishing.
This law would prohibit shark tourism in Federal waters but would allow anglers to legally feed sharks to catch and kill them. The law also has the potential to interfere or make more difficult scientific research on sharks by prohibiting attraction to research vessels. It will also hurt the Florida economy by cutting off a strong, sustainable, and growing dive and tourism industry. What is particularly disturbing is the state would amend a Federal Law administered by NOAA that oversees fisheries management in federal waters. This law builds upon the misinformation and obfuscation by the proponents of the SHARKED Act, where anglers claim shark populations are exploding, especially in Florida.
According to the Florida economic analysis, the total impact for shark encounters in Florida was over $377 million in 2016. These encounters generated more than $116 million in wages and divers spend over $221 million on expenditures, such as lodging and boat rentals. Shark encounters also supported over 3,700 jobs.
Representative Webster’s supporters argue the act will make Florida waters safer for swimmers and reduce sharks’ association of humans with food. Support for the bill also comes from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the American Sportfishing Association.
They claim the ban will protects the public from shark encounters, prevents sharks from becoming “human-conditioned” and promotes conservation. However, these claims lack scientific evidence. There’s no conclusive data that shark feeding increases attacks or changes shark behavior long-term. A 2021 study in Biscayne Bay FLA, an area of high boat and fishing traffic, and an area used by bull (Carcharhinus leucas), nurse (Ginglymostoma cirratum) and great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) sharks. The researchers quantified the sharks presence in areas through acoustic tag telemetry where boat density was also were quantified.
The researchers found no detectable relationship between boat density and shark residency for any of the species. The hourly presence of one species, the Nurse shark actually declined with higher boat traffic. The Safe Seas Act authors and supporters have provided no data or research behind their positions. What conservation benefits would come from prohibiting community science while allowing fishermen to kill sharks is dubious. Like The SHARKED Act, the law panders to fishermen who are claiming shark populations have exploded off the east coast and are losing their catch to sharks, so called depredation.
In fact, NOAA has documented that US Atlantic shark populations have been on the decline since the 1980s. NOAA’s assessment indicates 70% to over 90% declines in coastal apex shark populations (including white, hammerhead, and whaler sharks) between 1963 and 1998. According to NOAA, Hammerhead populations have declines by 89% since 1986. White sharks have declined by 79% since 1980. Tiger shark populations have declined 65% since 1986. Many species of sharks in Florida like Makos also travel hundreds or thousands of miles, making them vulnerable to commercial fishermen and shark finning on the high seas.
Some species migrate through east coast waters seasonally and scientists from the Mote Marine Lab suggest declining prey populations, changing sea temperatures and increasing fishing pressure are causing more interactions with fishermen and sharks. There are solutions to reduce sharks taking fish, among them better data, creating no fishing zones, and seasonal closures. Shark diving is already illegal in state waters in Florida. Tighter regulations for attracting sharks in Federal waters might help reduce interactions, but killing an industry will not benefit the long term health of the Florida coastal economy or ecology. Maintaining current business levels and future growth in the shark diving will rely on healthy and abundant shark resources. Gallagher and Hammerschlag (2011. Continuing declines in shark populations along the US coasts could have significant business implications for Florida’s dive operators and the health of the coastal marine ecosystems.
The law is currently in the House Committee passed through theHouse subcommittee of Natural Resources. Florida citizens are encouraged to contact the bill sponsors. Follow this page as the bill progresses to the House and Senate.
SOURCES
The SHARKED Act Shark Depredation Act Introduced in Senate
Mitchell J. Rider, Oliver S. Kirsebom, Austin J. Gallagher, Erica Staaterman, Jerald S. Ault, Christopher R. Sasso, Tom Jackson, Joan A. Browder, Neil Hammerschlag, Space use patterns of sharks in relation to boat activity in an urbanized coastal waterway, Marine Environmental Research, Volume 172, 2021,
Tony Fedler. (2017) The Economic Impact of Shark Diving in Florida. Gainesville, FL: Human Dimensions Consulting.
Wetherbee, B.M., Gruber, S.H., & Cortés, E. (1990). Diet, feeding habits, and digestion in sharks. NOAA Technical Report NMFS 90.1.
Worm B, Davis B, Kettemer L, Ward-Paige CA, Chapman D, Heithaus MR, Kessel ST, Gruber SH. (2013) Global catches, exploitation rates, and rebuilding options for sharks. Marine Policy 40: 194–204.
Dulvy NK, Fowler SL, Musick JA, Cavanagh RD, Kyne PM, Harrison LR, Carlson JK, Davidson LN, Fordham SV, Francis MP, others. (2014) Extinction risk and conservation of the world’s sharks and rays. Elife 3: e00590.