August 5, 2025 — Shark depredation is a major issue facing Gulf coast anglers fishing near and offshore.
It’s been making waves on social media with anglers complaining about the sheer amount of shark run-ins they have been seeing in recent years, and for good reason. Depredation is the act of a hooked fish being partially or completely removed by a shark, something almost all anglers deal with on a daily basis while targeting their favorite offshore species.
“Man, I don’t know how you offshore charter boat captains deal with this shark problem every day,” a Bradenton-based inshore charter captain posted on social media. “I went offshore today and fished six spots between 140 and 150 feet and got sharked on five of them. Probably lost 20+ fish to them today.”
This report, and many more like it, are constant across fishing communities. Countless other anglers are posting similar stories. Even when talking with those fishing offshore who don’t post, they experience similar situations when fishing from nearshore waters for hogfish all the way to deep waters for grouper and red snapper.
Captain Zac Sturm, host of Tampa Bay Fishing Radio, posted some advice for anglers seeking help from lawmakers in June.