A controversial bill that would reshape how people interact with sharks off the coast of Florida is advancing through Congress, and it has divided those who make their living on the water. The measure, known as the Florida Safe Seas Act, would ban using bait to attract sharks for diving or tourism in federal waters off Florida. It has now passed the House and will go before the Senate.
Under the bill, feeding or baiting sharks in federal waters off Florida would be prohibited, with one notable exception carved out for shark fishing. That distinction sits at the heart of the debate, because it would restrict the operators who lure sharks for divers and tourists while leaving anglers who fish for sharks able to continue.
Those in favor of the measure say it is about safety. Supporters argue the ban would make the ocean safer for swimmers, anglers and beachgoers by reducing the practice of drawing sharks in close with bait. Opponents counter that the law would sink South Florida's multi-million dollar shark diving tourism industry, which depends on getting visitors close to the animals.
One of those operators is Tanner Mansell, who started swimming with sharks about ten years ago and launched his own business to share the experience with others. He describes the appeal in simple terms, saying that in the moment a diver feels a massive appreciation for the apex predator of the ocean. Now, he says, the industry is facing its own predator in the form of the bill.
Mansell argues that his operation is not the threat the bill targets. His charters operate three to four miles offshore, far from swimmers, and he contends that legal shark fishing from the beach is a bigger risk. He also says sharks learn quickly, coming to associate any boat with an easy meal, and points out that on any given weekend there are a thousand fishing boats out on the reef compared with fewer than ten dive boats, so the idea that operators like him are the reason the sharks are there is, in his words, not accurate.
On the other side, Kelly Ralston with the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust frames the issue around conservation. She says the bill could help curb shark depredation, which happens when sharks snatch hooked or released fish before anglers can reel them in. According to the group's research, over forty percent of all breeding permit fish, a key recreational fishery in the state, were being lost to sharks as they were returned to the water while people were fishing.
The bill is sponsored by Congressman Daniel Webster, who was not available for an interview about the measure. With the legislation having cleared the House, attention now turns to the Senate, where lawmakers will weigh the competing arguments over safety, conservation and the future of an industry built around bringing people face to face with sharks.