[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4051 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4051


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 6, 2024

    Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
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 Representatives 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 Enhanced Dialogue Act'' or the 
``SHARKED Act''.

SEC. 2. SHARK DEPREDATION TASK FORCE AND RESEARCH PROJECTS.

    (a) Shark Depredation Task Force.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Commerce shall establish 
        a task force (referred to in this subsection as the ``task 
        force'') to identify and address critical needs with respect to 
        shark depredation.
            (2) Membership.--The Secretary of Commerce shall appoint 
        individuals to the task force, including--
                    (A) 1 representative from--
                            (i) 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));
                            (ii) each Marine Fisheries Commission, as 
                        such term is defined in section 3 of the 
                        Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation 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
                            (iv) the National Marine Fisheries Service;
                    (B) an individual with expertise in the management 
                of highly migratory species;
                    (C) a researcher with expertise in shark management 
                and behavior; and
                    (D) a researcher with expertise in shark ecology.
            (3) Responsibilities.--The task force shall--
                    (A) develop ways to improve coordination and 
                communication across the fisheries management community 
                and shark research community to address shark 
                depredation;
                    (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;
                            (v) techniques and strategies to reduce 
                        harmful interactions between sharks and humans, 
                        including the development and use of non-lethal 
                        deterrents;
                            (vi) the role of healthy shark populations 
                        in the ocean food web; and
                            (vii) climate change impacts on shifting 
                        shark populations, prey, and shark behavior;
                    (C) develop recommended management strategies to 
                address shark depredation; and
                    (D) coordinate the development and distribution of 
                educational materials to help the fishing community 
                minimize shark interactions including through changed 
                angler behavior and expectations.
            (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 subsection, 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 Islands of the 
                United States, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
                Mariana Islands, and American Samoa.
    (b) Shark Depredation Research Projects.--Section 318(c) of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
1867(c)) is amended by 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.''.
    (c) Effect.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect the 
authority and responsibility of the Secretary of Commerce in carrying 
out the Endangered Species Act of 1973 or the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act.

            Passed the House of Representatives February 5, 2024.

            Attest:

                                             KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

                                                                 Clerk.