Florida joins Hawaii in federal shark-feeding ban for public safety

What it does

This bill amends federal fishery law to prohibit feeding sharks in the exclusive economic zone (federal waters) off Florida's coast. It extends an existing prohibition that already applied to Hawaii to also cover Florida, making it illegal to chum or feed sharks in those waters to protect public safety and marine ecosystems.

Why we flagged it

The bill is a straightforward extension of an existing marine-safety prohibition to a new geographic area. It protects public safety by preventing shark-feeding activities that could increase human-shark conflict in federal waters off Florida.

What the text implies

• The bill does not specify enforcement mechanisms or penalties, relying on existing Magnuson-Stevens enforcement infrastructure; effectiveness depends on NOAA/Coast Guard capacity to patrol and enforce in Florida's EEZ.
• The prohibition applies only to federal waters (3–200 nautical miles offshore); state waters and private property remain unregulated, creating a potential enforcement gap for near-shore shark feeding.
• Tourism and recreational diving industries may face restrictions on shark-feeding tourism activities (e.g., shark-diving charters) in federal waters, though the bill does not explicitly address commercial vs. recreational feeding.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill extends a public-safety protection (shark-feeding prohibition) to Florida waters, reducing the risk of human-shark conflict in a high-tourism, high-recreation coastal state. The restriction applies only to feeding sharks in federal waters, not to private property or state waters, and aligns with established marine-safety practice already in place for Hawaii.

Named in the bill

State of Florida, State of Hawaii, Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, NOAA (implied enforcement), U.S. Coast Guard (implied enforcement)

Where it stands

5 cosponsors: 4 Republicans, 1 Democrats.

• Jun 6, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jun 6, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”
• Jul 22, 2025 — Hearing held · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Hearings Held”
• Mar 5, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Mar 5, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent”
• Jun 2, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3751)”
• Jun 2, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.