Fifth Circuit Tosses Back Rule Trying to Track Charter Boats Without a Warrant

Fifth Circuit Tosses Back Rule Trying to Track Charter Boats Without a Warrant

In a landmark win for charter boat fishermen across the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has set aside a controversial Final Rule issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which required 24-hour GPS tracking of recreational charter boat fishing vessels and reporting of confidential economic data. As Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod wrote, “in promulgating this regulation, the Government committed multiple independent Administrative Procedure Act violations, and very likely violated the Fourth Amendment.” The ruling is major for many reasons, including that the government tried to claim that charter boat fishing is a “closely-regulated industry” to which the Fourth Amendment does not apply.

Vec discusses NCLA’s recent win in Mexican Gulf Fishing Company v. U.S. Department of Commerce.