PORTLAND, Maine — Regulators will require lobster boats operating in federal waters to have tracking devices next year.
The American Lobster Management Board voted Thursday to require lobstermen who fish far offshore in federal waters to transmit data showing their location.
The tracking devices would record the vessel's location while it is fishing, providing regulators with better data to get an idea of where in the ocean lobsters are located.
Lobstermen aren't thrilled with the vote by the board, an arm of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission.
Lobstermen currently don't have to report their locations, meaning there is little data to show how much and where they fish.
The American Lobster Management Board directed NOAA Fisheries to implement the requirements by May 1, 2023.