Lobsterman Challenges GPS Tracker Mandate After Supreme Court Ruling

One Maine lobsterman refuses to quit even after the Supreme Court turned down his challenge Monday regarding a GPS vessel-tracking requirement. Frank Thompson fears this mandate threatens generations of family tradition and could set a dangerous precedent for other industries. For decades, this fifth-generation fisherman has piloted his craft from Vinalhaven into deeper waters to set traps. Now he claims a government-mandated tracker has turned his boat into a 24/7 "ankle bracelet," sparking a long legal fight over constant surveillance and Fourth Amendment rights.

"This is totally against the Fourth Amendment, and somebody's got to hear it one way or another," Thompson told Fox News Digital. "This black box that they're putting aboard the boat is not legal, in my mind, and I'm not a criminal." The owner of Fox Island Lobster Company with his wife and two sons was fishing earlier this month when his son texted him about the court's decision. That ruling left a First Circuit judgment intact, which stated the tracking did not violate the Fourth Amendment because lobstering is a closely regulated industry.

"I just told myself, I said, 'Well, it ain't over yet,'" he replied. The mandate forces small electronic boxes onto federally licensed boats in Maine and has flipped his life upside down. According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources, these devices record location data once per minute while moving and every six hours when docked. Tracking does not stop there for Thompson because the device collects data during personal trips as well. Whether he travels back to the mainland or enjoys a family picnic, he says the constant monitoring gives him "a creepy feeling" about who watches his information.

"Freedom is gone. What else can they do to us?" he asked. There is more at stake beyond privacy concerns. Thompson described how his first boat ride occurred two days after his birth and noted that his sons and grandchildren follow in his footsteps today. "Fishing's been in my blood and I always want to be on the water," he said. He explained that you cannot easily explain the feeling of being out fishing, but it remains a way of life. Catching dozens of lobsters by pulling up a trap line feels like opening a present at Christmas time to him.

Matthew Gilliam, Thompson's attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, argues lobstermen must carry these trackers as a condition for earning a living and keeping their license. He contends the mandate infringes on Fourth Amendment rights because it lacks a warrant. "That forced trespass was a violation of the Fourth Amendment because it's an unreasonable search and seizure," Gilliam stated. The Maine Department of Marine Resources implemented this rule in 2023 following direction from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. State officials and conservationists support the mandate as necessary to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales, monitor lobster populations, and sustain the industry for years ahead.

"They're bringing it up because it's for the whales," Thompson said. "Well, the government's lying through their teeth like they always do, and I'm not a criminal." Shortly after the rule took effect, a federal lawsuit was filed by Thompson and four fellow lobstermen claiming the device subjected them to tracking without consent. A federal judge dismissed the case, and the U.S. Supreme Court now holds the power to decide if this surveillance stands or falls.

The Court of Appeals for the First Circuit affirmed the lower ruling, concluding that the mandate for tracking devices does not breach the Fourth Amendment when applied to closely regulated industries.

Thompson argues that privacy worries stretch far beyond commercial fishing. The American Farm Bureau Federation stands with him on his appeal to the Supreme Court. This group representing farmers and ranchers filed an amicus brief warning that the lower court's logic might erode constitutional protections for anyone working in a regulated sector.

"Everybody's got cell phones, they can track us if they want to," Thompson said. "But put a black box on a tractor, seeing how many days that he's out in the field or whatever, it's just, the independence is gone."

Although the AFBF backed Thompson's challenge, the Conservation Law Foundation praised Monday's decision after filing its own brief supporting the tracking mandate during the appeal. CLF Associate Attorney Sarah Shahabi called this ruling a valuable step toward properly managing the iconic species in a press release. Fox News Digital asked for comment from the foundation but received no response before publication.

Maine DMR also weighed in on Monday, keeping its support for the data collection rule alive in an official statement. Commissioner Carl Wilson wrote that his agency believes gathering this information remains critically important for the long-term sustainability of both the lobster fishery and the resource itself.

Gilliam noted that even though the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, workers in regulated industries must not lose their privacy rights simply because they do their jobs. "Lobstermen and others have Fourth Amendment protections and we'll continue fighting against government overreach," he said.

Thompson remains focused on why officials treat lobstermen as if they have done something wrong. "We're just out there making a living and we're taking good care of the resource," Thompson said. "You can't believe the steps that we've done to take care of it and we don't get credit for nothing."

He warned that adopting similar regulations across different fisheries could ruin everyone if officials do not think before they react. "All these rules and regulations and it's taking away a lifestyle of generations of freedom," he said.

Thompson plans to keep working with his legal team to remove the tracking requirement once and for all. "I'm fighting for everybody, not just myself," Thompson said. "I'm just fighting for freedom for everybody.