Lobster boat tracking seafood courts.

A federal appeals court says the government can continue requiring America’s lobster fishing boats to use electronic tracking devices that report data back to authorities. Fishing officials began requiring federally permitted lobstermen to install electronic tracking devices and transmit location data in late 2023. Regulators say the practice improves understanding of the lobster population and can inform future policy. A group of lobster fishermen sued, saying the rules amount to unreasonable search and seizure. A federal district court rejected that claim, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston upheld that ruling Tuesday.