Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge support of my bill, H.R. 4051, the Supporting the Health of Aquatic Systems through Research Knowledge, and Enhanced Dialogue Act, also known as the SHARKED Act. Picture this: A charter boat fisherman takes a group of excited anglers 90 miles off the coast in hopes of reeling in a yellow fin tuna, a snapper, or grouper, or even ensure reeling in a tarpon. One of the individuals hooks the first fish and starts to fight to reel it in. However, before the fish ever gets to the boat, sharks have completely consumed the fish, all the way up to the gill plates. This phenomenon is called depredation, which occurs when sharks interfere with fishing activities. Shark depredation is accepted as a natural part of fishing, but it has become a widespread issue in our waters and has increased rapidly in recent years. During the House Natural Resources Committee hearing for the SHARKED Act, we heard from experts discussing the impact of this phenomenon. According to the American Sportfishing Association, 52.4 million people went fishing in the United States, supporting 826,000 jobs and contributing $129 billion to the economy. The American Sportfishing Association also found that 87 percent of charter guides surveyed said they experienced depredation with clients, resulting in negative impacts on their businesses. Anglers are losing their catch and tackle to sharks at alarming rates, and they are understandably becoming increasingly frustrated by it. Mr.…”