Fishermen Lose Challenge to GPS Tracking Rule for Charter Boats

The National Marine Fisheries Service, also known as NOAA Fisheries, can require charter boats to carry GPS tracking systems to protect fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, a Louisiana federal court ruled in a loss for a class of boat captains and fishing companies.

Mexican Gulf Fishing Company, A&B Charters Inc., and other companies and individuals argued the rule amounted to an “unconstitutional and unlawful infringement” of their rights. The federal government will get “virtually no benefit” in monitoring fish stocks compared to “cheaper and less intrusive methods,” they told the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. ...