November 6, 2026 — Three Washington Dungeness crab fishermen are asking a state court to overturn a vessel monitoring program they say violates their constitutional rights by tracking their boats even when they are not fishing.
The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), representing crab boat captains Sarah Franey, Brent Young, and Mark Young, filed a motion seeking to invalidate the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) Electronic Monitoring Program. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Dec. 15.
According to a Nov. 3 NCLA news release, the program requires GPS tracking of Dungeness crab vessels throughout the nine-month fishing season whenever their crab pots remain in the water, regardless of whether the vessels are being used for commercial fishing or personal activities.
The fishermen argue that the requirement allows the state to monitor their movements during recreational fishing trips, transportation, and sightseeing. They also contend that WDFW can share vessel location data with law enforcement and other agencies without obtaining a warrant.
At the center of the lawsuit, Franey et al. v. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, is whether the monitoring requirements violate constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.