July 31, 2017 — HAMPTON, N.H. — A commercial fisherman who is suing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over its at-sea monitoring program is hopeful the U.S. Supreme Court will hear his case on its merits.
David Goethel, of Hampton, who filed his original suit against the federal government in 2015, has been joined in his efforts by the Northeast Fisheries Sector 13. They represent fishermen from Massachusetts to North Carolina.
Cause of Action Institute, a nonprofit oversight group advocating for economic freedom and individual opportunity in Washington, D.C., is funding the lawsuit. Goethel said their support is evening the playing field for small commercial fishermen who are being forced to pay about $700 per day for at-sea monitors under current regulations.
“We simply just don’t have the money to play in these arenas,” Goethel said Friday.
Lawyers submitted their petition to the Supreme Court earlier this month. It calls for the court to reverse rulings about a 30-day statute of limitations for challenges, but at its heart, Goethel is asking for the case to be heard on its merits.
Goethel said he believes it is illegal for NOAA to require commercial fishermen to pay for at-sea monitors, when NOAA mandates them. NOAA has paid for the monitors on and off in the past, when they can find the money, Goethel said.