12 minute read
Sharks: The Conservation Success Story with a Catch
As Florida’s once-scant shark population rebounds, the rate of shark-angler interactions is on the rise, bringing scientists and anglers together to find solutions.
BY ALEXANDRA MARVAR
Sharks and humans have a surprising number of things in common: Intelligence. Memory. Unique personalities. The ability to learn from one another. And a great love of fishing for redfish and snook in some of Florida’s most beloved fishing destinations.
In Florida, shark populations have rebounded from dire lows in recent years, and the number of anglers on the water continues to rise, too. So it’s no wonder that, in places like Florida Bay, sharks and humans are running into each other a lot more frequently— and experiencing some friction as they battle it out over who gets the fish on the line.
For Dr. José E. Trujillo, BTT’s new self-described “shark guy,” finding a solution that promotes both a healthy, balanced natural ecosystem and healthy sport fisheries involves understanding shark behavior—and that’s riveting stuff.
“Many people think of sharks as hunting machines,” Trujillo says. “They’re actually more fascinating than that. They’re really super smart. They have great memory. And there’s so much we don’t know about them.”
Trujillo earned his PhD in marine science doing field research in Fiji and French Polynesia, studying shark nurseries (safe habitats for young sharks) and anti-predator escape responses. Now, he’s working as a BTT postdoctoral researcher with Florida Keys Initiative Director Dr. Ross Boucek on BTT’s three-year Shark Depredation Project.
In phase one of the project, Trujillo says, the team has learned that lemon and bull sharks, in particular, have been training in a sort of Pavlovian experiment.
“Kleptoparasitism is basically when a predator steals food from another predator,” Trujillo explains. “Humans go out and hunt their prey—catch a fish.” A shark might see an opportunity—a struggling fish—and score an easy meal. From there, Trujillo says, sharks are smart enough to ask: “What cues can help me find these opportunities?” Sharks might be learning to seek out the sounds of certain boats, the commotion of fish struggling on a fishing line, the scent of bait in the water. Through associative learning, they’ve learned to link these stimuli with a reward: a delicious meal that costs them less energy than hunting on their own.”
‘UNFISHABLE’
Dr. Boucek has had his eye on the shark depredation problem. “I remember in 2015, I was mapping snook spawning aggregations north of Florida Bay,” Boucek says. “Every fish we hooked got eaten by a shark. I realized this was no longer a place that could be sustainably fished.”
At the outset of the Shark Depredation Project, the project team ran surveys, focus groups, and more to draw invaluable insight from Florida guides and anglers: “Where is this conflict most intense? What shark species are involved? When did it start?” Boucek says. So far, these insights have helped BTT pinpoint depredation hotspots, identify the most problematic shark species, and track the conflict’s evolution.
First, they confirmed that the issue is widespread and has intensified in the last decade, with the team finding that nearly 98 percent of surveyed fishers have experienced shark depredation incidents. Findings also pointed to Florida Bay as a hotspot for shark-angler interactions, with immature lemon sharks (four to six feet long) identified as the main culprits, and redfish and snook as the primary targets.
Post-COVID, the conflict seemed to surge, making some areas “unfishable,” Boucek says. That isn’t just a problem for humans, he adds: It puts additional stress on species already vulnerable to overfishing, habitat loss, and climate change.
“The snook and redfish fishery is a year-round fishery,” Boucek says. “You can do it in bad weather, you can do it in good weather, cold, hot—doesn’t really matter. So, it’s not as sexy as the tarpon fishery, but man, it’s like the lifeblood of the industry for the Upper Keys regions. Though it’s in a relatively localized area, this issue has disproportionate effects in the fishing community. Addressing it is a big deal.”
THE SHARK CONSERVATION CATCH
Some have called for addressing the issue through, simply, population control of certain species. Unfortunately, scientists understand that killing off sharks might not solve the problem— while creating another problem in the process.
Florida’s visibly larger shark population may seem like the crux of the issue. But these thriving populations are a national point of pride. Florida is a world leader in shark conservation, with no-kill policies for lemon, tiger, white, and hammerhead sharks. So, while sharks in Florida’s waters seem plentiful, numbers worldwide are a different story: Studies show the global population of oceanic sharks and rays has declined by 71 percent since 1970. Yet, these apex predators are vital players in a healthy, balanced marine ecosystem.
This conservation success story is getting a bad rap, largely because when shark populations did start to make a return, they were coming back to, as Trujillo explains, “a completely different environment” with “less habitat and less food” and more people fishing. Seagrass die-offs in Florida Bay mean less prey to go around, not to mention the impacts from the degradation of the Keys’ coral reefs. Factors like residential development, water contamination, and mangrove depletion mean less habitat. And rising ocean temperatures are altering the distribution of sharks and their prey, leading to more frequent encounters in the spots anglers love.
“All those combinations create the perfect environment for the emergence of this behavior,” Trujillo says—and this conflict.
So, the Depredation Project’s next phase will tackle this question of quantity: Are there too many sharks—so many that there isn’t enough prey to go around? Or are guides and anglers just up against a would-be-manageable quantity of sharks who’ve become habituated, or as Boucek puts it, like “dumpster bears”— who’ve simply learned too much, too fast, about how to snag the easiest meal?
To test this, the research team is tagging lemon sharks to track their movements and identify if certain sharks are repeatedly interacting with anglers. Brightly colored visual IDs will help BTT understand, according to Trujillo, how many times a single shark interacts with anglers. Does every shark behave this way, or is it just a small percentage of sharks who’ve learned to associate boats with freebies?
“With the resulting data, BTT can then work with resource managers and anglers to deploy science-based solutions to mitigate shark depredation in the Keys,” says Boucek. “The ultimate goal of the project is to identify ways for sharks and anglers to coexist within a healthy flats fishery.”
TWO TO TANGO
Another complicating factor in shark depredation is that the problem isn’t the sharks alone: It’s the combination of sharks and anglers.
Captain Richard Black is a Keys born-and-raised guide who leads charters out of Islamorada with his company Blackfly Charters. He’s seen how anglers can take steps to give the fish a competitive edge.
“In places people aren’t fishing at all, if there’s redfish, snook, whatever, we’re watching sharks pack-hunting,” he says. “They’re targeting these schools of fish and running through them.” At the same time, there are more anglers in Florida than any other state. And when an angler catches a fish, it’s more vulnerable to shark depredation while on the line, and vulnerable again as it gets its bearings after being released. While BTT gathers data to better understand how to stop sharks from eating the fish, Black says guides and tournament organizers are introducing better ways for anglers to give the fish a better fighting chance.
For example, the two-day Herman Lucerne Memorial in Everglades National Park implemented new rules this year, including not measuring snook, tarpon, and bonefish.
“Basically, a picture in the water is good, and de-hook, and you don’t have to put them on a measuring board, spend extra time, or anything else,” Black says of the new rules. This is helpful because less handling means the fish is in better shape when released.
Other tournaments, like the Fall All-Tackle in Islamorada, introduced innovative methods to weigh fish without handling them, using digital weight scales and uniform, coated nets.
“You weigh the fish in the net, so the fish is fully supported,” he explains. “You’re videoing the whole time. You’re never actually touching the fish at all.”
The changes were well-received—by both anglers and catch, Black says. “That seemed to make a really big difference for those fish. They were swimming off better,” he recalls. “And everybody, in general, got pretty accurate weight measurements and was happy with it.”
He’s also adjusted his fishing practices, avoiding sharky areas to protect targeted species. “During the summer, when sharks are most active, spend a lot of time fishing for things other than snook and tarpon and redfish,” he says. “In the heat of the summer, maybe I spend a little more time bonefishing and permit fishing, because we don’t have the shark issues as much doing that.”
Rotating where he fishes could also help prevent sharks from learning to associate his boat with a meal ticket. “With any fisheries management, it’s a crawling pace at best,” he says. “I don’t see anything really happening overnight. We have to keep the topic in the forefront of everybody’s vision.”
SMARTER SHARK POLICY
As the research progresses, BTT Vice President for Conservation and Public Policy Kellie Ralston is looking at policies that could help accelerate positive change.
“The management process in general for sharks is really complicated,” Ralston says. “Some species that are protected at the federal level are not protected at state level.” But, on the policy front, there is one bill she says has great potential to move the ball: the SHARKED Act (Supporting the Health of Aquatic Systems through Research, Knowledge, and Enhanced Dialogue).
It’s a major milestone in building the knowledge base required to balance the needs of anglers, conservationists, and sharks at the federal level, Ralston says. Passed by the House in January 2025 with bipartisan support, it has yet to be introduced in the Senate. It would establish a task force of fisheries managers and shark experts to coordinate research, facilitate education, and develop strategies to limit shark depredation.
Balancing conservation with commercial interests adds another layer of complexity to shark policy. In recent years, legislation to ban the sale of shark fins—legally harvested or otherwise—has exacerbated challenges for fisheries. “That is the most valuable part of the shark, and they’re no longer able to sell it,” Ralston says. While the intention was to curb illegal finning practices, the ban unintentionally hindered legal, sustainable shark harvesting efforts.
Is this driving shark-angler interactions? “We need a better understanding of the scale and scope of the depredation issue,” she says. That’s what the Shark Depredation Project is tackling now. In the meantime, the public can get involved, Ralston adds:
Reporting sightings and incidents to organizations like BTT and/ or state agencies like Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) helps build a clearer picture of the problem, she says.
LOOKING AHEAD
Boucek adds another policy change that he sees as a possibility down the line, depending on the data. If BTT and partners find through research that shark populations are in fact more abundant in the Keys than in other places along the U.S. coast, it could open potential management relaxations to provide more fishing opportunities. “We have an opportunity here,” he says. “We have an abundant resource of big animals that people like to see. Integrating shark fishing into people’s routines could be an exciting thing. If we make a cool catch-and-release fishery out of it, this could be a benefit.”
BTT is also looking into deterrent technologies like the Shark Shield—a device that creates an electromagnetic field to overstimulate sharks’ sensory organs, encouraging them to leave the area. It’s got potential, but so far, it’s cost-prohibitive, Trujillo says. “If every guide has to buy one,” he notes, “you don’t solve the conflict.”
In the immediate future, Trujillo and Boucek will be out on the water with BTT colleagues, guides, and other partners, executing phase two. “We’re tagging these lemon sharks with colored tags for visual identification, and we’re going to need a lot of help,” Boucek says. Data from tracking and tagging efforts will not only improve population estimates but also give the scientists a clearer picture of the problem.
Meanwhile, for anglers, guides, and the general public, supporting policy like the SHARKED Act and adopting and evolving fishing practices to give fish the fighting chance they need are steps in the right direction.
“While management and conservation catch up to this conflict, it’s really important that we do our best to keep the fish alive,” Boucek says. Use heavy tackle, move on from areas where fish are being eaten, and advocate for policy changes to integrate shark fishing into the routine. “This will take time,” he adds. “We need to be patient and adapt.”
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
BTT is advocating for immediate action to reduce sharkangler interactions. What can guides, anglers, and BTT community members do to take a bite out of the problem?
Help give Florida's sportfish a fighting chance!
• Use heavy tackle to shorten fight times
• Avoid overfished areas where shark depredation is high
• Rotate fishing spots to minimize shark habituation
• Follow best practices to minimize time out of the water for fish
Ask lawmakers to represent Florida's anglers and guides.
• Tell your senators to support the SHARKED Act
Help us solve the problem!
• Report shark depredation encounters to the FWC
• Look for colorful IDs on sharks in 2025, and report sightings to BTT
• Follow BTT (@bonefishtarpontrust) to learn how to get involved with tracking and tagging initiatives
Alexandra Marvar is a freelance journalist based in Savannah, Georgia. Her writing can be found in The New York Times, National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and elsewhere.
