Shark-angler interactions are on the rise in Florida. These include shark depredation, when a shark takes a hooked fish, and post-release predation, when a shark eats a fish that has just been released. Encounters with sharks while fishing are not only frustrating – they are dangerous and may threaten the sustainability of flats fish species.
BTT’s Shark Depredation Project seeks to understand the problem and test mitigation tactics in the Florida Keys. BTT will then work with resource managers and anglers to deploy these science-backed solutions to find a sustainable balance between sharks and recreational fishing in Florida and in other fisheries around the Southeast. Through angler and guide surveys and workshops, BTT identified areas that are depredation hotspots. Scientists then conducted tagging research and diet analysis of lemon sharks in those areas to find out if the depredation problem there is simply due to more sharks, or sharks modifying their behavior and becoming serial depredators.
We are enormously thankful to the anglers and guides who have helped to advance this project, including Capt. Rob Fordyce, whose new show, The SeaHunter Unleashed, premieres in 2027 and will feature BTT’s Shark Depredation Project.
Early findings from BTT’s shark depredation research in the Florida Keys
Certain lemon sharks move around more than others.
This map depicts shark activity for two tagged lemon sharks in Florida Bay from May to November 2025. Lemon shark movements with the smallest (red) and largest (teal) area of habitat commonly used are shown. The red box in the map of the Florida Keys on the left shows the study area.
Lemon sharks were sampled in Flamingo to discover top prey species.
Of the 65 lemon sharks in Florida Bay for which we have diet data, this chart shows the most common prey species detected at the time of sampling.
Researchers studied sharks that use depredation hotspots compared to those that do not.
Two sharks that Capt. Rob Fordyce satellite-tagged on The SeaHunter Unleashed provide a comparison between the behavior of a shark that did not use depredation hotspots often (the individual is highly mobile and primarily ate ladyfish), and a shark that stayed within depredation hotspots and primarily ate snook.
The movements of tagged sharks shown here are represented “as the crow flies,” thus the movement tracks may cross land.
The sharks in the depredation hotspot are mostly juvenile females.
This chart depicts the total length in feet of lemon sharks caught, tagged, and released for the BTT Shark Depredation Project. The number of sharks at each length is shown and separated by female and male sharks. The dashed line indicates the approximate length at maturity. The lemon sharks sampled in Florida Bay consisted mostly of females (37 out of 54) and were all considered juveniles.
Guides and anglers reported increased shark depredation increase and hotspots.
To begin the Shark Depredation Project, BTT surveyed fishing guides and anglers in 2024 and then followed up with a workshop with Florida Keys guides. Their responses revealed that shark depredation increased slowly starting 30 years ago, and then began to rise rapidly about 10 years ago. Anglers were asked to rank the level of depredation experience from 1 (not a problem) to 10 (fishing is impossible). The fishing guides also helped BTT narrow down the locations of depredation hotspots for further study.
BTT will test shark deterrents; stay tuned for the results of this research. In the meantime, you can avoid or minimize shark depredation by following BTT’s catch-and-release guidelines, developed by veteran fishing guides and scientists.
Capt. Rob Fordyce teams up with BTT’s research team to tag sharks in the Florida Keys for science. Watch the trailer for the new show, coming in 2027!
Support BTT’s Shark Depredation Project.
