SHARKED Act Introduced in U.S. Senate, Committee Markup Scheduled for July 30, 2025
Last week, Senators Rick Scott (R-FL) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Supporting the Health of Aquatic Systems through Research, Knowledge, and Enhanced Dialogue (SHARKED) Act.
The bipartisan SHARKED Act directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a task force dedicated to mitigating shark depredation, which is the consumption of a hooked fish before the angler can land it. If enacted, the bill will convene state and federal fisheries managers, shark experts, and stakeholders to identify and develop techniques and strategies to mitigate shark depredation.
On Wednesday, July 30, the Senate Commerce Committee will hold an Executive Session in which it is expected to vote to potentially advance the SHARKED Act to the full Senate. Click the link below for details about the hearing.
U.S. Reaches Trade Agreements with Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan and the European Union
Over the past week, President Trump has announced multiple trade deals with other nations, although official details have yet to be released. These include U.S. reciprocal tariffs of 19% on Indonesia and the Philippines, and 15% on Japan and the E.U. The President also stated that the U.S. may soon issue a single tariff rate of 15 to 20% for over 150 countries.
ASA continues to update our Trade & Commerce Hub with the latest official information on trade and how these decisions will impact the sportfishing industry. Click the link below to learn more.
TRCP & ASA Host Conservation Summit at ICAST 2025
Fisheries policy experts from TRCP, ASA, Center for Sportfishing Policy, and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation highlighted and discussed nearly a dozen management and conservation policies and legislative matters that organizations are working together to advance over the course of the next year and beyond. The panel also discussed the makeup of the new Trump administration’s fisheries-oriented agency leads; potential reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (the primary law controlling marine fisheries management in U.S. waters); transferring management of the South Atlantic red snapper fishery to states; and the impact new tariffs have had on recreational fishing, tackle, and boating.
Click below to read the full recap from TRCP’s blog.
Introducing ASA’s New Policy Fellow
We are pleased to welcome Gabe Rodriguez to the ASA Government Affairs team as our newest Policy Fellow. He joins ASA with foundational knowledge of fisheries management, having previously served in ocean conservation and sustainability positions. In his new role, Rodriguez looks forward to advocating for fisheries conservation and access on behalf of the entire recreational fishing industry.
Click below to read an introduction letter written by Rodriguez.
About The American Sportfishing Association
The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is the sportfishing industry’s trade association committed to representing the interests of the sportfishing and boating industries as well as the entire sportfishing community. We give the industry and anglers a unified voice when emerging laws and policies could significantly affect sportfishing business or sportfishing itself. ASA invests in long-term ventures to ensure the industry will remain strong and prosperous, as well as safeguard and promote the enduring economic, conservation and social values of sportfishing in America. ASA also gives America’s 55 million anglers a voice in policy decisions that affect their ability to sustainably fish on our nation’s waterways through Keep America Fishing, our national angler advocacy campaign. America’s anglers generate nearly $50 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on the nation’s economy creating employment for 800,000 people.
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