Depredation (the partial or complete removal of a hooked species by a non‐target species) is a human–wildlife conflict as old as humans and the sea. In some ways, depredation is no different today than it was a century ago. But in many ways, this conflict has become more complicated. Following three decades of successful management, some US shark populations have begun to rebuild. However, many anglers attribute perceived increases in shark depredation to management measures, claiming they have led to ‘overpopulation’ of sharks and/or learned behaviour by sharks. We investigated whether these factors could explain the reported increases in depredation. Based on fishery‐independent surveys, neither shark population increases nor learned behaviour by sharks is evident. However, increases in angler effort provide an alternative explanation that is not often considered. While far from a smoking gun, at least four themes emerge from this thought exercise. First, it is important to understand historical predator baselines. Second, it is important to acknowledge lifting baselines, that is, instances where previously depleted populations are recovering. Third, it is important to remember that there are many instances when stakeholder observations were initially misaligned with traditional scientific observations but were ultimately recognized as pivotal for filling data gaps. Finally, and perhaps most important, is the acknowledgement that perceived conflict is as potent as real conflict. Arguably, it may not matter if depredation has increased or decreased; the overwhelming perception from stakeholders is an increase in depredation, and this is the perceived (or real) conflict that must be addressed.

中文翻译：

---

掠夺：与海洋的古老冲突


掠夺（非目标物种部分或完全清除被钩住的物种）是人类与野生动物之间的冲突，其历史与人类和海洋一样古老。在某些方面，今天的掠夺与一个世纪前没有什么不同。但从很多方面来看，这场冲突变得更加复杂。经过三十年的成功管理，美国的一些鲨鱼种群已经开始重建。然而，许多钓鱼者将鲨鱼捕食的增加归因于管理措施，声称这些措施导致了鲨鱼的“数量过剩”和/或鲨鱼习得的行为。我们调查了这些因素是否可以解释所报告的掠夺增加。根据与渔业无关的调查，鲨鱼数量的增加和鲨鱼习得的行为均不明显。然而，钓鱼者努力的增加提供了一种不常被考虑的替代解释。虽然远非确凿证据，但从这一思想练习中至少浮现出四个主题。首先，了解历史上的捕食者基线很重要。其次，重要的是要承认基线的提升，即先前耗尽的人口正在恢复的情况。第三，重要的是要记住，在很多情况下，利益相关者的观察最初与传统的科学观察不一致，但最终被认为是填补数据空白的关键。最后，也许也是最重要的，是承认感知到的冲突与真正的冲突一样强大。可以说，掠夺的增加或减少可能并不重要。利益相关者普遍认为掠夺行为有所增加，这是必须解决的感知（或真实）冲突。