Saving Seafood

Maine lobsterman takes fight against boat trackers to Supreme Court

September 21, 2026 — A Maine lobsterman is taking his fight against lobster and crab fishing boat trackers to the Supreme Court in a case that could have implications for the state’s fishing industry.

Frank Thompson, a fifth-generation lobsterman from near Vinalhaven, Maine, filed a federal lawsuit Carl Wilson, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, in 2023 over a Maine law complying with a federal mandate that requires lobstermen to install and continuously operate GPS trackers on their ships to keep their license.

A district court dismissed his case in 2023, as did an appeals court in 2025. He has now appealed the case to the Supreme Court, which is set to take it up on Sept. 28.

Lobsterman’s tracking fight heads to Supreme Court

September 16, 2026 — For commercial fishermen accustomed to vessel monitoring, observers and other data requirements, a Maine lobsterman’s case headed to the U.S. Supreme Court raises a more fundamental question: How far can government monitoring follow a fisherman when he isn’t fishing?

The Supreme Court is scheduled to consider Frank Thompson’s petition Sept. 28 in a challenge to electronic tracking requirements for federally permitted lobster vessels.

Thompson, a fifth-generation lobsterman from Vinalhaven, Maine, argues that requiring a GPS tracking device aboard his privately owned vessel amounts to an unreasonable search under the Fourth Amendment. His challenge focuses particularly on the requirement that the vessel continue transmitting its location while underway, including when it is being used for something other than lobstering.

“The petition asks whether Maine can force lobstermen to carry government GPS trackers on their private boats, even when they are off the job,” Matt Gilliam, Thompson’s lead attorney, told ABC News. “We are hopeful that the court will grant review and address this important Fourth Amendment question.”

The tracking requirement went into effect in 2023 for federally permitted American lobster vessels from Maine to Virginia. The devices transmit a vessel’s location every minute while it is at sea.

For some Maine fishermen, however, a fishing boat is not used exclusively for fishing.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Supreme Court to consider Maine lobsterman’s GPS tracking challenge later this month

September 16, 2026 — A longtime Maine lobsterman is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his challenge to a requirement that federally permitted lobster boats carry electronic tracking devices.

Frank Thompson argues that the tracking requirement violates the Fourth Amendment’s protections against unreasonable searches.

The Supreme Court has distributed the petition for its Sept. 28 conference, where the justices are expected to consider whether to take up the case. The conference is not an oral argument, and the court has not agreed to hear the case.

Thompson, a fifth-generation lobsterman from Vinalhaven, argues that the tracking requirement goes too far because the device remains on his private boat even when he’s not lobstering.

Maine requires state license holders who also hold certain federal lobster permits to have an electronic tracker on their boats while operating. The device records the time and location of the vessel once per minute while its moving and every six hours while it is tied up, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

Maine DMR says that the data are intended to provide more detailed information about fishing activity and stock assessments that can help with fisheries management and protected species issues.

Read the full article at WMTW

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

September 14, 2026 — The Supreme Court will decide later this month whether to hear a lobster fisherman’s challenge to a government requirement that boats use electronic tracking devices. That case could have broad consequences for the American commercial fishing industry.

Maine lobsterman Frank Thompson filed a federal lawsuit against the head of his state’s marine resources department over a requirement that he install a GPS tracker on his boat to keep his fishing license.

In 2023, the state, where lobster fishing is a critical and historic industry, required all federally permitted lobstermen to do so to comply with a new U.S. rule aimed at data collection.

Thompson asserted that the monitoring constituted unreasonable search and seizure, but a federal appeals court denied his claim last year. He appealed to the Supreme Court, which is set to review the claim on Sept. 28.

Read the full article at the Associated Press

Legal group that won IEEPA lawsuits takes aim at latest Section 301 tariffs

July 28, 2026 — The legal team that successfully challenged U.S. President Donald Trump’s International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)-backed tariffs is now pursuing a case against the administration’s latest Section 301 tariffs.

The Liberty Justice Center filed V.O.S. Selections, Inc. v. Trump in April 2025, just days after Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs. That lawsuit ultimately ended up in a 6-3 ruling at the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year that invalidated the tariffs and kicked off a lengthy refund process that is still ongoing.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

One lobsterman’s lawsuit going to the Supreme Court

June 24, 2026 — In 2023, the state of Maine mailed a package to Vinalhaven lobsterman Frank Thompson. “I got the little black thing in the mail, and the Department of Marine Resources (DMR) said, ‘hook it up and turn it on.’ I did. They wanted to track us, to collect data. Some guys mailed it back, but the DMR just sent it back to them. But I was curious, and so I sent it to a friend of mine at Google, and he said, ‘yeah, it’s tracking you 24/7 whether you’re fishing or not, and it has the potential to transmit video and audio.’”

According to legal filings, available here, “the primary purpose is to reduce the risk of North Atlantic right whales from getting entangled in fishing lines… (1) improve information available to fishery managers and stock assessment scientists; (2) support the development of offshore renewable energy in U.S. waters; and (3) improve the efficiency and efficacy of fishery management and offshore enforcement efforts in the EEZ.”

It was too much for Thompson and many other lobstermen, who contend that then DMR commissioner Pat Keliher told them that it had nothing to do with the whales or the wind, but never gave a definitive answer on what it was for, even when asked. They say it violates their 4th Amendment protection from unlawful search and seizure, and Thompson is now taking the case to the Supreme Court.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

US Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to 2018 Trump tariffs on China

June 18, 2026 — The U.S. Supreme Court has denied to hear a case that targeted the 2018 Section 301 tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term.

Trump issued a series of Section 301 tariffs targeting Chinese goods, including seafood, in 2018, kicking off a trade war between the two countries. Those tariffs, launched as a means of combating alleged intellectual property theft, were maintained through the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden and currently still stand eight years later.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

SCOTUS to consider lobsterman’s challenge to GPS tracking rule

June 10, 2026 — Vinalhaven lobsterman Frank Thompson’s case challenging the constitutionality of Maine Department of Marine Resources’ rule requiring 24/7 GPS tracking on federally licensed lobster boats was among the cases to be considered by the Supreme Court of the United States this week. However, SCOTUS will no longer decide whether to hear the case on June 11, as they have called for a response from the DMR. This information was shared in an email from Pacific Legal Foundation, the public-interest law firm representing Thompson, along with co-counsel from Holtzman Vogel.

In March, Thompson filed a 34-page petition for a writ of certiorari asking the Supreme Court to overturn the GPS tracking rule, arguing that it violates lobstermen’s Fourth Amendment rights protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures. The DMR rule states that every licensed lobster boat must be equipped with a tracker, and the tracker must be fully operational even when boats are docked or not being used for commercial fishing purposes. Failure to comply can result in hefty fines and the loss of fishing licenses.

Read the full article at The Ellsworth American

Trump administration continuing to resist issuing tariff refunds

June 5, 2026 — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has continued to file oppositions to tariff refunds in court.

The Trump administration has moved to prevent the testimony of Rodney S. Scott, a top customs official, from being required to testify at a court hearing related to the tariff refund process. A federal court ruled on 4 June that the administration’s motion for a stay on Scott’s testimony was warranted.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

US Supreme Court declines to hear case brought by Alaska commercial fishers

May 12, 2026 — The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a petition brought by Alaska commercial fishers challenging federal management of the Upper Cook Inlet (UCI) salmon fishery.

The lawsuit was the latest attempt by commercial set net and drift net fishing groups in the region to force the federal government to take an active role in managing the salmon fishery instead of deferring to state managers, which has resulted in the closure of commercial fishing opportunities. The Cook Inlet Fishermen’s Fund claimed that Alaskan regulators intentionally limit the amount of salmon commercial fishers may harvest, instead prioritizing salmon for the personal use, sport, and guided-sport fishing sectors.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource