The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has temporarily stopped issuing licenses for new catches of shark and ray species listed under the Endangered Species Act.
In a letter obtained Friday by Local 10, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Chairman Rodney Barreto said the Commission stopped issuing new Marine Education and Exhibition Activity Licenses (SAL) as of Aug. 19, 2025.
Barreto said Friday the commission is currently “revisiting (their) policies related to issuing Marine SALs involving prohibited marine species.”
He added that FWC has “removed the authorization to harvest ESA-threatened shark and ray species from the five previously issued Marine Education/Exhibition SALs, which had not yet collected specimens.”
The announcement comes less than a week after a bipartisan group of five state and federal lawmakers sent a letter to FWC to “express (their) strong opposition” to the commission’s policy of issuing SALs “for the removal of threatened or endangered marine wildlife from Florida waters.”
The renewed push follows a viral video from nearly two months ago showing a South Florida-based company, called Dynasty Marine Associates, capturing a protected giant manta ray off Shell Island in the Florida Panhandle.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lists the giant manta ray as protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, meaning they should not be targeted by fishermen and must be released in a manner that will promote their survival after any interaction.
However, Denis Richard, who took the viral video, told Local 10 in July that the fishermen said they had a valid permit to harvest the animal. A spokesperson for FWC later confirmed that Dynasty Marine Associates did have a legal Marine SAL.
Dynasty Marine Associates was contracted by SeaWorld Abu Dhabi to procure the giant manta ray for display at one of their aquariums. It was reportedly the second giant manta ray the company caught for SeaWorld.
Barreto commented Friday, saying, “The SAL issued to SeaWorld Abu Dhabi only authorized the harvest of one manta ray, and because this animal has already been collected, no additional activities are authorized under this license.”
Five lawmakers, including State Senator Jason Pizzo, who represents parts of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, are asking commissioners to do four things before or at their November meeting:
• Immediately stop issuing Marine SALs that “authorize the live capture of threatened or endangered species for public display.”
• “Re-examine and revoke” the SAL permit issued to Dynasty Marine Associates and publicly disclose “all records associated with its issuance.”
• “Commit to a formal rulemaking process (that will) permanently prohibit the removal of threatened marine species, including manta rays from Florida waters for public display or commercial use.”
• “Engage (with) independent scientists and conservation organizations to assess the status of protected marine species in Florida and make science-based policy recommendations to support their health and recovery.”
However, FWC appears unlikely to meet the November deadline imposed by lawmakers.
Barreto asked for patience, saying, “This will require time -- rule hearings will occur during Commission meetings in early 2026.”
Local 10 viewers can read the letter from lawmakers in the documents below:
Read the FWC’s response here:
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