Later this month, the Supreme Court will decide 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 has filed a federal lawsuit against the head of his state’s marine resources department, contesting a requirement that he install a GPS tracker on his boat in order to retain his fishing license.

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

Thompson contended that the surveillance amounted to an unreasonable search and seizure, yet a federal appeals court rejected his claim last year.

He then petitioned the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to examine the claim on Sept. 28.

“The petition asks whether Maine can force lobstermen to carry government GPS trackers on their private boats, even when they are off the job,” said Matt Gilliam, Thompson’s lead attorney.

“We are hopeful that the court will grant review and address this important Fourth Amendment question.”

Many U.S. commercial fishermen are monitored at sea by human observers and electronic devices to gather data that regulators call essential for keeping the industry and fish populations sustainable and healthy.

Over the years, fishing groups have turned to the courts to try to limit monitoring requirements, with mixed results.

Authorities have said the lobster boat monitoring program matters for improving understanding of the valuable crustacean's population at a time when it appears to be declining in New England.

A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Marine Resources declined to comment on Monday.

Carl Wilson, the department’s commissioner, said last year that the data from lobster boats is important to “mitigate economic harm to the industry” as well as to inform regulations.

Conservation groups have opposed efforts to scale back monitoring fishing boats at sea, which they see as important to protecting the broader ocean.

“Efforts to overturn a federal appeals court ruling do not change the fact that New England’s lobster population has declined and that fishery managers urgently need reliable and detailed data to respond to the complex issues facing our ocean,” said Erica Fuller, senior counsel with Conservation Law Foundation.

The U.S. lobster industry is predominantly concentrated in Maine, where fishermen harvested in excess of 78 million pounds (35.4 million kilograms) of the crustaceans last year.

That figure was commensurate with the industry's customary annual catch during the 2000s, yet it represents a precipitous decline relative to a decade ago, when catches routinely surpassed 120 million pounds (54.4 million kilograms) annually.