Frank Thompson: Maine lobsterman’s fight over GPS tracking hits a wall

The situation

For Frank Thompson, a fifth-generation lobsterman based off the coast of Vinalhaven, Maine, the ocean is his office. But lately, he feels like he’s working inside a surveillance state. Thompson has been locked in a years-long legal battle against a Maine Department of Marine Resources mandate that requires federally licensed lobster boats to carry a 24/7 GPS tracking device.

Since 2023, these "black boxes" have been collecting location data every minute while the boat is moving. For Thompson, it’s giving major "ankle bracelet" vibes. "This is totally against the Fourth Amendment, and somebody's got to hear it one way or another," he told Fox News Digital.

The legal roadblock

The Supreme Court recently declined to hear Thompson’s petition, leaving a lower court’s ruling in place. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit previously ruled that the tracking is legal because lobstering is considered a "closely regulated industry," effectively nullifying the Fourth Amendment privacy concerns for this sector.

Thompson’s attorney, Matthew Gilliam of the Pacific Legal Foundation, argues the mandate is an "unreasonable search and seizure." He notes that the data collection doesn't stop when the fishing is done; it tracks the boat during personal trips too.

Why it matters

State officials and conservation groups argue this tech is vital for tracking lobster populations and protecting the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Maine DMR Commissioner Carl Wilson maintained that the data collection is "critically important to the long-term sustainability of the lobster fishery."

But this isn't just about lobsters. The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) stepped into the fray, worried that if the government can slap a tracker on a boat, the same logic could eventually apply to tractors or other farm equipment. For those who value their independence, the idea that a career choice strips away constitutional privacy rights is lowkey terrifying. Thompson isn't backing down, though. Real talk: he says he’s still working with his legal team to find a way to get the mandate scrapped.