A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal from the lobster industry challenging the mandated use of electronic-tracking devices on fishing boats to collect data.
The ruling denied industry claims that the monitoring amounts to unreasonable search and seizure, according to The Associated Press.
Fishing regulators two years ago began requiring lobstermen to install tracking devices transmitting location data.
The information allegedly helps track the lobster population, ostensibly to allow even stricter future fishing restrictions.
The devices, which transmit fishermen’s locations using a global positioning system, must be turned on whenever a boat is in the water, even when it’s docked or being operated for personal use.
The U.S. Court of Appeals on Nov. 18 upheld a lower-court finding that the requirements are constitutional, dismissing claims to the contrary.
“Environmentalists” praised the ruling, arguing it helps their claims lobsters are declining due to alleged overfishing.
