The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a Maine lobsterman’s legal challenge to an electronic vessel tracker requirement, which ends a years long lawsuit.
Maine Morningstar reports Vinalhaven lobsterman Frank Thompson had appeal his complaint after losing in U.S. District and appellate courts.
Thompson brought his lawsuit after a rule requiring all federally licensed lobster vessels to operate GPS trackers went into effect in 2024.
The Maine Department of Marine Resources says the tracking data is critically important to the long-term sustainability of the lobster fishery.
Thompson sued DMR Commissioner Carl Wilson in federal court, arguing that GPS tracking amounted to an unreasonable search and seizure and violated his constitutional rights.
The tracking rule was implemented by DMR after being passed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in2023.
