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Poll results

Fishery regulators want to know where lobstermen are setting their gear, in order to understand if and how it poses a risk to already-endangered North Atlantic right whales.

To gather the data, a new rule requires federally permitted lobstermen to carry a tracking device on their boats.

But a group of the fishermen have sued the Maine Department of Marine Resources over the requirement, saying the trackers are a violation of privacy rights. "The placement of lobster traps and trip routes are coveted as individual trade secrets," the group says in its complaint.

Officials say the information will be used only for whale monitoring and research, which ultimately benefits the lobster fishery.

Does the requirement that Maine lobstermen carry boat-tracking devices violate individual privacy?
No, data from the devices is important to a healthy marine ecosystem and lobstermen must carry the trackers. (27%, 63 VOTES)
Yes, the data is a trade secret and lobstermen should not have to turn it over. (73%, 173 VOTES)
Poll Description

Fishery regulators want to know where lobstermen are setting their gear, in order to understand if and how it poses a risk to already-endangered North Atlantic right whales.

To gather the data, a new rule requires federally permitted lobstermen to carry a tracking device on their boats.

But a group of the fishermen have sued the Maine Department of Marine Resources over the requirement, saying the trackers are a violation of privacy rights. "The placement of lobster traps and trip routes are coveted as individual trade secrets," the group says in its complaint.

Officials say the information will be used only for whale monitoring and research, which ultimately benefits the lobster fishery.

  • 236 Votes
  • 0 Comments
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