Supreme Court to decide whether to hear Maine lobsterman's challenge to GPS boat tracker requirement

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide later this month whether to hear a federal challenge from Maine lobsterman Frank Thompson over a GPS tracker requirement for boats used under state and federal lobster licenses. Thompson filed suit against the head of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, arguing that the monitoring amounts to unreasonable search and seizure. Maine required GPS installation in 2023 for all federally permitted lobstermen to comply with a new U.S. rule targeting data collection, after which a federal appeals court rejected his claim last year.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to review the case on Sept. 28. Lawyers say the petition raises a Fourth Amendment issue about whether Maine can force lobstermen to carry government GPS devices on private boats even when off the job. Regulators and conservation groups argue monitoring is needed for reliable data as New England’s lobster population declines; Maine officials cite the data as important to both regulation and reducing economic harm. The lobstering industry in Maine landed more than 78 million pounds last year, similar to typical 2000s levels but sharply below a decade ago.