HR4051-118

Reported

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a task force regarding shark depredation, and for other purposes.

118th Congress Introduced Jun 12, 2023

Legislative Progress

Reported
Introduced Committee Passed
Jan 30, 2024

Additional sponsors: Mr. Pappas and Mr. Webster of Florida

Jan 30, 2024

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the …

Jun 12, 2023

Mr. Wittman (for himself, Mr. Soto, Mr. Graves of Louisiana, …

Summary

What This Bill Does

Creates federal task force to study and address shark depredation, where sharks eat fish off fishing lines. Includes representatives from fishery councils, states, and researchers.

Who Benefits and How

  • Commercial fishers may see reduced losses to shark predation
  • Recreational anglers gain research on shark-fishing interactions
  • Fishery managers receive coordinated research and recommendations

Who Bears the Burden and How

  • NOAA/Commerce must establish and staff task force
  • Federal budget funds shark depredation research

Key Provisions

  • Task force includes all regional fishery councils and commissions
  • Research priorities include shark identification and behavior
  • Examines angler behavior and regulatory effects on interactions
  • Develops improved coordination across fisheries community
Model: claude-opus-4
Generated: Jan 10, 2026 17:37

Evidence Chain:

This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.

Primary Purpose

Establishes task force to address shark depredation problem in commercial and recreational fisheries

Policy Domains

Fisheries Wildlife Marine Conservation

Legislative Strategy

"Address shark-fishing conflicts through research and coordination"

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Fisheries Wildlife
Actor Mappings
"the_secretary"
→ Secretary of Commerce

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology