Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Wittman (VA-01) today applauded the unanimous passage of his bill, H.R. 4051 - the Supporting the Health of Aquatic systems through Research Knowledge and Enhanced Dialogue (SHARKED) Act, out of the House Committee on Natural Resources.

“Our anglers and commercial fishermen make great contributions to our economy and our marine environment, and we must do what we can to ensure they can carry out their jobs on the water,” said Rep. Wittman. “I introduced the SHARKED Act to establish a task force that will promote collaboration among fisheries management groups so that we can improve fishing conditions while keeping sharks safe. I’m proud to see unanimous, bipartisan consent to pass the SHARKED Act out of committee, and I look forward to seeing it on the House floor.”

“By establishing a task force to study and address shark depredation, Congress is proving that progress can be made by bringing all parties to the table to discuss the best possible solution to an issue facing many anglers while still maintaining their access to fishing waters,” said Chairman Bruce Westerman. “I want to thank Representative Wittman for his leadership on this issue and hope to see it move quickly through the legislative process.”

In July, witnesses testified to the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee on the importance of the SHARKED Act. Click here to watch.