Saving Seafood

FLORIDA: Sharks have become an ‘overwhelming problem’ in the Gulf, Florida anglers say

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.

Read the full article at Miami Herald

FLORIDA: Nets torn ‘all to hell’: Port Canaveral fishermen worry about increasing rocket launches, debris

July 28, 2025 — Every rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast triggers hours of varying maritime-vessel security and danger zones offshore of Port Canaveral, with fishermen warned to avoid those areas.

Rockets continue lifting off at an unprecedented rate. The Cape remains on track to surpass 100 annual orbital rocket launches for the first time this year. And looking ahead, SpaceX seeks environmental and regulatory approvals to soon add up to a whopping 190 additional rockets to the Eastern Range manifest per year — including enormous Starship-Super Heavy two-stage tandems.

That’s why the Southeastern Fisheries Association and other groups recommend that Congress and/or SpaceX establish a space-operations compensation program “for all domestic fishers, processors, and distributors who suffer economic losses or equipment damage.”

Read the full article at Florida Today

Commercial fishers and businesses challenge US federal red snapper plan over dead discards

July 16, 2025 –A group of commercial fishers, seafood processors, and buyers from the U.S. states of North Carolina and Florida have filed a lawsuit against the federal government’s management of the Southeast Atlantic red snapper fishery, claiming that regulators are not adequately taking action on dead discards from the recreational sector.

“This case challenges the ongoing lack of accountability for dead discards of red snapper in the South Atlantic Snapper-Grouper fishery, which directly harms commercial fishermen in that region and violates the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act,” the lawsuit states.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FLORIDA: Florida’s Boater Freedom Act could harm fisheries, impede conservation, critics say

July 1, 2025 — A measure prohibiting vessel searches that stem from safety inspections on the water is among a slew of laws to be enacted in Florida this week.

It halts a long-running practice in which state and local marine law enforcement could stop boaters and board their vessels without probable cause.

Gov. Ron DeSantis says long-standing vessel searches have “unnecessarily created friction” between boaters and law enforcement.

Read the full article at Tampa Bay Times

FLORIDA: Florida congressmen seek EEZ ban on shark feeding

June 24, 2025 — Two Florida congressmen introduced a bill that would prohibit shark feeding in federal waters off their state – both extending Florida’s own state waters ban on the practice, and adopting a measure already in effect in the U.S. EEZ around Hawaii and Pacific islands.

The “Florida Safe Seas Act of 2025” was introduced June 6 by Republican Rep. Daniel Webster and Democratic Rep. Darren Soto as “bipartisan legislation that prohibits shark feeding in the exclusive economic zone off the State of Florida,” according to the legislators.

“As a Floridian and member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I am committed to the responsible stewardship of our marine ecosystems and safety of our waters,” Webster said inannouncing the bill. “This legislation mirrors current Florida law which helps ensure the safety of Floridians and provide commonsense conservation of marine wildlife.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

FLORIDA: Florida representatives want to ban shark feeding to stop red snapper depredation

June 19, 2025 — Two lawmakers from the U.S. state of Florida want to ban shark feeding off the state’s coast, claiming the practice leads to increased activity and depredation of red snapper.

“As a Floridian and member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I am committed to the responsible stewardship of our marine ecosystems and safety of our waters,” U.S. Representative Daniel Webster (R-Florida) said in a statement. “This legislation mirrors current Florida law, which helps ensure the safety of Floridians and provide commonsense conservation of marine wildlife.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

FLORIDA: Florida Safe Seas Act to Prohibit Shark Feeding in the EEZ off Florida’s Coast

June 17, 2025 — “As a Floridian and member of the House Natural Resources Committee, I am committed to the responsible stewardship of our marine ecosystems and the safety of our waters,” said Rep. Webster. “This legislation mirrors current Florida law, which helps ensure the safety of Floridians and provide commonsense conservation of marine wildlife.”

The Florida Safe Seas Act of 2025 is supported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Jupiter Dive Center, American Sportfishing Association, and Bonefish and Tarpon Trust.

“The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) applauds Congressmen Webster and Soto for introducing the Florida Safe Seas Act,” said Martha Guyas, ASA’s Southeast Fisheries Policy Director. “With depredation by sharks on the rise, anglers are increasingly concerned about the practice of shark feeding, which conditions sharks to associate humans and boats with food.”

“I wholeheartedly support the Florida Safe Seas Act that seeks to prohibit the feeding of sharks in federal waters off the State of Florida. This critical measure will protect shark populations, promote healthier marine ecosystems, and enhance the safety of our waters. By taking this step, we affirm our responsibility to preserve the delicate balance of ocean life and ensure a sustainable future for both marine wildlife and the communities that depend on them,” said Gerald Carroll, Owner of Jupiter Dive Center.

“Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) thanks Congressman Webster and Congressman Soto for their leadership in keeping Floridians safe. The Florida Safe Seas Act would prohibit the hand-feeding of sharks in federal waters off the coast of Florida, therefore mirroring the current prohibition in Florida state waters. The state of Florida prohibits the feeding of all wildlife, including alligators, on state property. The National Park Service prohibits the feeding of wildlife in national parks. This legislation is a common-sense approach to keeping Florida’s federal waters safe,” said Jessica McCawley, Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries Management.

Read the full article at ECO Magazine

NOAA reverses course on winter Florida groundfish ban

June 10, 2025 — In a victory for sport fishermen, NOAA has scrapped a proposed rule that would have banned fishing for 55 fish species off Florida’s Atlantic coast during the winter to aid the recovery of overfished red snapper, one of the region’s most prized sport species.

In a bulletin announcing a suite of changes to federal management of South Atlantic red snapper, NOAA said it had axed the three-month ban — called a “discard reduction season” — on dozens of species that share the same near-bottom habitat with snapper, citing heavy opposition from fishing interests.

Those species include black sea bass, red grouper, vermillion snapper, gag, scamp, greater amberjack and gray triggerfish.

Read the full article at E&E News

Florida Man Sentenced to 30 Days for Shooting and Poisoning Dolphins

May 27, 2025 — For years, Zackary Barfield of Panama City, Fla., made his living on the Gulf of Mexico guiding fishing charters, often with dolphins trailing close behind, riding the boat’s wake. But when the dolphins began stealing red snapper from his clients’ lines, prosecutors say, the longtime captain turned predator.

Between 2022 and 2023, Mr. Barfield laced baitfish with pesticide and shot at dolphins from his boat, doing so once in front of “two elementary-aged children,” the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Florida said on Friday in a statement.

Mr. Barfield, 31, was sentenced this week to 30 days in prison and fined $51,000 for three counts of poisoning and shooting dolphins, violating both the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, according to federal prosecutors.

His sentence will be followed by one year of supervised release. Mr. Barfield pleaded guilty to the charges on Feb. 12, according to court documents.

Read the full article at The New York Times

Gulf fish farming project at risk as judge pulls nationwide permit

May 2, 2025 — A federal judge repealed a nationwide permit for industrial fish farming off the coasts of Florida and California. Instead, the company leading the project will have to turn to individualized permits.

Ocean Era, a Hawaii-based company, proposed a series of industrial fishnets, including three that would be located roughly 45-miles southwest of Sarasota.

Their proposal predates a President Donald Trump 2020 executive order that initially created these “blanket” permits that could be granted by the Army Corp of Engineers.

With U.S. District Judge Kymberly Evanson revoking the nationwide permit on March 17, Ocean Era would have to turn to individualized permits to create fish farms.

Read the full story at WUWF