A federal appeals court has ruled that the US government can continue to require lobstermen to use electronic tracking devices to collect data on their boats.

The Portland Press Herald reports that the requirements were put in place in late 2023 as a way to monitor the lobster population and inform future rules for the industry.

A group of 5 lobstermen filed a lawsuit soon after the requirements were put in place, arguing the devices amounted to unreasonable search and seizure.

“The plaintiffs contend that minute-by-minute surveillance of Maine’s federally licensed lobster fleet is unconstitutional, unwarranted and unfair to Maine lobstermen, who have proven through the actions of generations of lobstering families that they are good stewards of the ocean ecosystems essential to their livelihoods,” said Thimi Mina and Alfred Frawley IV, attorneys for the fishermen, in a statement.

That claim was rejected in federal court, and the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston upheld that ruling this past Tuesday, saying the devices “record a limited and specific type of data and report only that.”

Conservation groups applauded the ruling, saying the monitoring is necessary to keep the crustacean’s stock healthy amid reports of overfishing in New England.

“Our fishery managers urgently need reliable and detailed data to respond to the complex issues facing our ocean,” said Conservation Law Foundation staff attorney Chloe Fross.

To read the original Press Herald article, click here.