US Court strikes down charter boat tracking rule

By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court has struck down a federal rule requiring Gulf of Mexico charter boat operators to equip their vessels with tracking devices. The ruling handed down Thursday by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans reversed a lower court decision. It was a victory for a group of Florida and Louisiana charter operators who filed a lawsuit in 2020. The government said the regulation was authorized under a federal fisheries management act. But the court said that law does not authorize the government to require tracking equipment on private charter boats. And it says the regulation may also violate constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.