Florida lawmakers target marine animal capture

January 13, 2026

Florida residents reacted with outrage last summer after a widely shared video showed fishermen near Panama City capturing a massive manta ray — a species listed as federally threatened — and hauling it onto their vessel.

Public anger intensified once it was revealed that the capture had been officially authorized. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) had approved a permit allowing Dynasty Marine Associates, an aquarium supply company, to remove the manta ray from state waters and transport it to a SeaWorld facility in Abu Dhabi.

Recorded by the crew of a dolphin tour boat, the footage exposed a little-known but long-standing policy that permits Florida authorities to approve the capture of protected marine species — including sharks and rays — for commercial display and entertainment purposes worldwide.

Now, Florida lawmakers from both parties say that policy must end.

Republican State Sen. Ileana Garcia of Miami and Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross of St. Petersburg have introduced legislation that would prohibit the capture and transport of threatened or endangered marine animals from Florida waters for aquariums and educational exhibitions.

The proposal, titled the Marine and Aquatic Native Threatened Animal (MANTA) Protection Act, aims to overhaul Florida’s Special Activity Licenses program. Lawmakers argue the reforms are overdue and would shift the state’s focus from corporate interests to the conservation of vulnerable marine wildlife.

“Floridians were stunned to discover that capturing endangered or threatened marine animals for exhibition remains legal, despite existing federal and state protections,” Cross said in a statement. “This legislation closes that loophole and ensures these animals — many already nearing extinction — remain in their natural ocean habitats rather than confined to tanks overseas.”

The legislation follows mounting pressure on the wildlife commission. In August, a bipartisan group of state and federal lawmakers formally urged the agency to reevaluate its licensing practices.

FWC Chair Rodney Barreto responded in September, stating that the commission plans to begin a formal rulemaking process in early 2026. He also confirmed that the agency had temporarily paused issuing new permits for capturing federally protected shark and ray species.

Despite those assurances, lawmakers moved forward with their own statutory solution.

Alicia Prygoski, strategic legislative affairs manager for the Animal Legal Defense Fund, praised the bills, calling the existing policy a “deeply troubling loophole.”

“These animals suffer immensely when removed from the wild and confined to small aquariums for entertainment,” Prygoski said. “Such practices further endanger species that are already under severe population stress.”

Florida’s 2026 legislative session begins Tuesday and will last 60 days.

It remains unclear how companies that benefit from these permits — including SeaWorld — will respond to the proposed ban. The company did not respond to a request for comment as of Friday afternoon.

An FWC spokesperson said the agency does not comment on pending legislation.

Environmental advocacy group Defenders of Wildlife, which collaborated with lawmakers on the bill’s language, welcomed the filing of the House version. With support from both chambers, the proposal is now officially bipartisan.

“Florida has long been a leader in marine conservation,” said Katherine Sayler, the organization’s Southeast representative. “This legislation will ease pressure on threatened species in our waters and help ensure their long-term recovery.”