Maine fisherman Frank Thompson catches lobsters. His state requires lobster fishermen with permission from the national government to put tracking devices on their boats. These devices show where boats go. Thompson went to court to fight this rule. He lost at an earlier court. On October 5, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear his case.
Thompson says the tracking breaks rules that protect people from government searches. His lawyers say the fight is not over. About 1,200 Maine lobster fishermen can still face tracking.
Environmental groups welcomed the decision. They say tracking helps officials manage fishing. They want to protect rare whales that can get caught in fishing equipment. They also want to watch lobster numbers more closely because those numbers are falling.
