S. 2314: SHARKED Act of 2025
Sponsor
Rick Scott
Republican · FL
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Mar 4, 2026
Placed on Senate floor schedule under General Orders. Calendar No. 349.
Your catch keeps disappearing. Congress wants answers.
Why it matters
A fish lost to a shark is still a lost day on the water — and S. 2314 sets up a 7-year federal task force to figure out why these interactions are rising, what reduces them, and how anglers can avoid them. The bill requires reports to Congress every 2 years and adds shark depredation to federal fisheries research priorities.
S. 2314 would require the Secretary of Commerce to create a Shark Depredation Task Force focused on one specific problem: sharks interfering with fishing and removing catch. The panel would bring together regional fishery councils, marine fisheries commissions, coastal state agencies, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and shark experts.
The bill gives that task force a defined job. It must improve coordination between fishery managers and shark researchers, identify funding opportunities, recommend management strategies, and help produce education materials for the fishing community.
Congress also lays out the research agenda in unusual detail. The bill names 7 priority areas, including which shark species are involved, whether shark behavior is changing around humans, how angler behavior affects interactions, whether non-lethal deterrents work, and how climate change may be shifting shark populations and prey.
This is not a bill to weaken endangered species protections or create new penalties. The text explicitly says existing Commerce Department authority under major fisheries and endangered species laws stays the same.
The timeline is long enough to build evidence but short enough to force updates. The first report would be due within 2 years of enactment, additional reports would follow every 2 years, and the task force would end within 7 years unless Congress acts again.
S. 2314 Bill Summary
What S. 2314 actually does.
A national shark-fishing task force gets created
The Secretary of Commerce would have to establish a Shark Depredation Task Force focused on identifying and addressing shark interactions that disrupt fishing.
Anglers' lost catch becomes a formal research priority
The bill adds shark depredation projects to federal fisheries research law, including work on what is causing increases and how to reduce them.
Reports arrive every 2 years
The task force would report to Congress within 2 years of enactment and every 2 years after that until it ends.
The bill targets 7 research questions
Congress lists 7 areas for study, including shark species identification, stock assessments, shark habituation to humans, angler behavior, non-lethal deterrents, food-web effects, and climate-driven shifts in shark behavior and prey.
Fishing communities get education materials
The task force would coordinate materials meant to help anglers and other fishing communities reduce shark interactions through changed behavior and expectations on the water.
Territories are included in the conversation
Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa are included in the bill's coastal-state definition for representation.
Who benefits from S. 2314?
Recreational anglers and charter crews
If you are losing hooked fish to sharks, this bill is aimed directly at that problem. It pushes the federal government to study what is driving those interactions and whether non-lethal deterrents or changed fishing practices can reduce them.
Commercial fishing communities
Fishing businesses that lose catch, time, and gear to shark interactions could benefit from a clearer national playbook on prevention, management, and education.
Shark scientists and marine researchers
The bill creates a formal seat at the table for shark behavior, ecology, and migratory-species expertise, while also expanding the list of federal research projects that can focus on shark depredation.
Coastal states and territories
State and territorial fish and wildlife agencies across every major U.S. ocean region would have a route into the task force process, including Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa.
Who is affected by S. 2314?
Secretary of Commerce
The Secretary would have to stand up the task force, appoint members, and oversee a process that produces reports every 2 years for up to 7 years.
National Marine Fisheries Service
The agency would have a required representative on the task force and would likely be central to carrying out any expanded shark depredation research.
Regional fishery councils and marine fisheries commissions
These bodies would be pulled into a recurring federal coordination process on shark interactions, research priorities, and management recommendations.
Anglers hoping for immediate rule changes
This bill does not create instant new fishing rights, remove shark protections, or set penalties. It is a research-and-coordination measure, so any on-the-water policy changes would come later, if at all.
S2314 Legislative Journey
Committee Action
Mar 4, 2026
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz without amendment. With written report No. 119-114.
Passed Committee
Jul 30, 2025
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Committee Action
Jul 16, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
About the Sponsor
Rick Scott
Republican, FL · 7 years in Congress
Committees: Senate Special Committee on Aging, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Armed Services
View full profile →
Cosponsors (2)
This bill has 2 cosponsors: 1 Democrat, 1 Republican, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 2 states: Florida, Hawaii.
Committee Sponsors
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
1 of 28 committee members cosponsored
15 Republicans across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
What laws does S. 2314 change?
1 changes
Sections Amended
Section 318(c) of Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 1867(c))
adding at the end the following: ``(6) Projects to better understand shark depredation, including identifying what causes increases in shark depredation and determining how to best address shark depredation
S. 2314 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Chamber
- Senate
- Policy
- Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Introduced
- Jul 16, 2025
Placed on Senate floor schedule under General Orders. Calendar No. 349.
Mar 4, 2026
Official Sources
The official bill page provides the text, status, sponsors, and actions for the SHARKED Act of 2025.
The bill requires task force expertise in highly migratory species, an area NOAA Fisheries manages through this program page.
The bill focuses on shark interactions affecting anglers and fishing communities, making NOAA's recreational fishing program page a relevant official source.
S. 2314 amends fisheries research provisions under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, so this NOAA overview helps explain the governing law.
The bill specifically amends 16 U.S.C. 1867(c), the fisheries research section referenced in the text.
The bill says it does not change Commerce's authority under the Endangered Species Act, codified beginning at 16 U.S.C. 1531.
S. 2314 Common Questions
What does S. 2314 actually do?
It makes the Commerce Department create a Shark Depredation Task Force, study why sharks are taking more catch, and report to Congress every 2 years for up to 7 years.
Does S. 2314 change shark protections or endangered species law?
No. The bill says Commerce keeps the same authority it already has under existing endangered species and fisheries laws. This bill adds research and coordination, not a rewrite of those rules.
How long would the shark task force last?
Up to 7 years. The bill says the task force must end no later than 7 years after the Secretary of Commerce sets it up.
When would the task force report back?
The first report would be due within 2 years after the bill becomes law, and more reports would follow every 2 years until the task force ends.
Would the bill study non-lethal shark deterrents?
Yes. One of the bill's named research priorities is techniques to reduce harmful shark-human interactions, including non-lethal deterrents.
Who would sit on the Shark Depredation Task Force?
It would include regional fishery council representatives, marine fisheries commissions, coastal state agencies, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and experts in migratory species, shark behavior, and shark ecology.
Are Puerto Rico and Guam included?
Yes. S. 2314 includes Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa in its coastal-state definition.
Does S. 2314 provide money or create penalties?
Not in the text provided. The bill does not list a specific funding amount, fine, or penalty. Its main tools are research, coordination, education, and recurring reports.
Based on S. 2314 bill text
S. 2314 Bill Text
“To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a task force regarding shark depredation, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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