BOSTON — New England commercial fishermen suing the federal government over the cost of at-sea monitoring say they plan to take their case to the federal Court of Appeals.
At-sea monitors are workers who collect data that help inform fishing regulations. The government shifted the cost of paying for monitors to fishermen earlier this year.
A federal district court judge ruled in July that it was legal to require fishermen to pay for the monitors, who can cost hundreds of dollars per day.
The fishermen behind the lawsuit have filed a notice of appeal that says they intend to take the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston.
The monitoring rules apply to fishermen who seek commercially important species like cod, haddock and sole.
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