The Supreme Court will decide later this month.

It may hear a case from a Maine lobster fisherman.

The case is about tracking devices on boats.

This case could affect many American fishing boats.

Frank Thompson is a Maine lobsterman.

He filed a lawsuit in federal court.

He sued the head of Maine's marine resources department.

He does not want a GPS tracker on his boat.

He needs the tracker to keep his fishing license.

In 2023, the state made all lobstermen do this.

It followed a new U.S. rule.

The rule wants to collect data.

Thompson said this is an unreasonable search.

A federal appeals court said no last year.

Then he appealed to the Supreme Court.

The Court will look at the case on Sept. 28.

Matt Gilliam is Thompson's lead lawyer.

He said the petition asks a question.

Can Maine make lobstermen carry GPS trackers?

The trackers are on their private boats.

This happens even when they are not working.

He hopes the Court will take the case.

He wants the Court to address this Fourth Amendment question.

Many U.S. fishermen are watched at sea.

People and electronic devices watch them.

Regulators say the data is very important.

It keeps the industry and fish populations healthy.

Fishing groups have used courts for many years.

They try to limit monitoring rules.

The results are mixed.

Authorities say the lobster boat program is important.

It helps them understand the lobster population.

The population seems to be going down in New England.

A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Marine Resources did not comment on Monday.

Commissioner Carl Wilson spoke last year.

He said lobster boat data is important.

It helps reduce economic harm to the industry.

It also helps make rules.

Conservation groups do not want less monitoring.

Erica Fuller is a senior counsel with the Conservation Law Foundation.

She said efforts to overturn the ruling do not change a fact.

New England's lobster population has gone down.

Fishery managers urgently need reliable data.

The U.S. lobster industry is mostly in Maine.

Fishermen caught more than 78 million pounds last year.

That was normal for the 2000s.

But it is a big drop from ten years ago.

Then catches often topped 120 million pounds a year.