Fishermen, Scientists Unite to Tackle Shark Depredation

WPRFMC News Release

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, in partnership with the Pacific Islands Fisheries Group, hosted the region’s first shark depredation workshop Feb. 10–11, 2026, to address the issue and develop mitigation strategies for U.S. Pacific Island fisheries. Fifty-two participants from four countries and all three U.S. Pacific Island territories attended.

Shark depredation was repeatedly raised during the Council’s community consultation meetings held region-wide in 2025. Fishers described lost catch, damaged gear and safety concerns during bottomfishing and trolling—what many called a growing “tax” on their livelihoods. The issue was highlighted in Molokai, Kauai, Waianae, Kona, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Manu‘a Islands, where fishers reported more frequent interactions both nearshore and offshore. Fishermen from American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Hawaii shared firsthand accounts and the need for practical solutions.

Plenary presentations reviewed trends in shark interactions across the Pacific Islands, the effectiveness and limitations of commercially available deterrent technologies, and the complex regulatory landscape governing shark interactions. Breakout sessions and an evening forum brought fishermen, scientists, managers and technology developers together to identify cost-effective fishing adaptations, priority research gaps and governance challenges linked to environmental change.

Participants described depredation as an increasingly significant economic and operational burden, including longer trips to replace fish. In some fisheries, fishers reported losing up to 50% of their catch in certain instances, along with growing “operational fatigue” from repeated shark encounters.

Fishers also discussed on-the-water strategies to reduce depredation—moving spots frequently to avoid shark aggregation, avoiding chumming or cleaning fish on the grounds, and using high-speed electric reels to bring fish to the surface quickly. Technology discussions included magnetic and electrical devices, as well as chemical repellents, with participants weighing cost, durability and species-specific performance.

Recommendations emphasized fishermen must be active partners in solutions and that improved data are needed to better understand the scale of depredation and its impacts on commercial, noncommercial and subsistence fisheries.

Key recommendations included:

• Improve regionwide reporting and data collection on depredation events, including fish lost to sharks, number of hooked sharks and socio-economic costs, using simple and non-burdensome tools and building on existing surveys and programs.
• Coordinate near-term, cooperative field testing of deterrent technologies with fishermen and share results across islands; evaluate cost, durability and species-specific performance and consider combinations of deterrents and adaptive fishing practices.
• Expand localized research to better understand shark abundance and behavior by island areas and U.S. exclusive economic zones, and ensure assessments and management decisions reflect local conditions. This could expand capabilities for managing sharks in fisheries.
• Improve clarity and consistency among federal, state and territorial regulations to allow harvest of shark species with healthy populations, and explore funding mechanisms that can help fishermen adopt mitigation measures where regulations limit responses to depredation.

The Council will hear a report on workshop outcomes at its 206th meeting on March 24-26. Participants urged the agencies, universities and community organizations to identify a lead entity to champion this issue and to convene a follow-up workshop within 6–12 months to review progress and share results from on-the-water deterrent trials.