KEY LARGO, Fla. — A Florida commission Thursday banned shark-feeding expeditions, saying the practice by some scuba boat operators could be altering the animals' natural behavior.
The seven-member Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission stressed that there is no evidence connecting the feedings to recent shark attacks in the state's waters.
They said the ban, which takes effect Jan. 1, is aimed at assuring that the sharks do not become more dangerous.
Opponents of "interactive diving," in which scuba-diving tourists watch dive leaders feed chunks of fish to sharks, say the practice teaches the animals to associate people with food.
