I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4051 
To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a task force regarding 
shark depredation, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 12, 2023 
Mr. WITTMAN (for himself, Mr. SOTO, Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana, and Mr. 
VEASEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a task 
force regarding shark depredation, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting the Health 
of Aquatic systems through Research Knowledge and En-
hanced Dialogue Act’’ or the ‘‘SHARKED Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SHARK DEPREDATION TASK FORCE AND RESEARCH 
PROJECTS. 
(a) SHARK DEPREDATION TASK FORCE.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Commerce 
shall establish a task force (referred to in this sub-
section as the ‘‘task force’’) to identify and address 
critical needs with respect to shark depredation. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Secretary of Com-
merce shall appoint individuals to the task force, in-
cluding— 
(A) 1 representative from— 
(i) each Regional Fishery Manage-
ment Council established under section 
302(a)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fish-
ery Conservation and Management Act (16 
U.S.C. 1852(a)(1)); 
(ii) each Marine Fisheries Commis-
sion, as such term is defined in section 3 
of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Con-
servation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
1802); 
(iii) the fish and wildlife agency of a 
coastal State from each Regional Fishery 
Management Council established under 
section 302(a)(1) of the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1852(a)(1)); and 
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(iv) the National Marine Fisheries 
Service; 
(B) an individual with expertise in the 
management of highly migratory species; and 
(C) a researcher with expertise in shark 
management and behavior. 
(3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The task force shall— 
(A) develop ways to improve coordination 
and communication across the fisheries man-
agement community to address shark depreda-
tion; 
(B) identify research priorities and funding 
opportunities for such priorities, including— 
(i) identifying shark species involved 
in interactions; 
(ii) shark stock assessments; 
(iii) how sharks become habituated to 
humans and thus lead to more interactions 
between sharks and humans; 
(iv) how angler behavior and fishery 
regulatory frameworks may influence shark 
interactions; and 
(v) techniques and strategies to re-
duce harmful interactions between sharks 
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and humans, including the development 
and use of non-lethal deterrents; 
(C) develop recommended management 
strategies to address shark depredation; and 
(D) coordinate the development and dis-
tribution of educational materials to help the 
fishing community minimize shark interactions. 
(4) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of the enactment of this section, and every 2 
years thereafter until the termination of the task 
force in accordance with paragraph (5), the task 
force shall submit to Congress a report regarding 
the findings of the task force. 
(5) SUNSET.—The task force shall terminate 
not later than 7 years after the date on which the 
Secretary of Commerce establishes the task force. 
(6) COASTAL
STATE
DEFINED.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘‘coastal State’’— 
(A) means a State of the United States in, 
or bordering on, the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific 
Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, or Long 
Island Sound; and 
(B) includes Puerto Rico, the Virgin Is-
lands of the United States, Guam, the Com-
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monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
and American Samoa. 
(b) SHARK DEPREDATION RESEARCH PROJECTS.— 
Section 318(c) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Con-
servation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1867(c)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) Projects to better understand shark depre-
dation, including identifying what causes increases 
in shark depredation and determining how to best 
address shark depredation.’’. 
Æ 
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