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The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the body responsible for the interstate management of the American lobster fishery, recently approved Addendum XXIX to Amendment 3 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for American Lobster, which requires electronic tracking of vessels participating in the fishery, with state implementation beginning in 2023. The Commission is made up of representatives from each of the eastern coastal states, including members of the lobster industry, and voted unanimously in support of vessel tracking, which is similar to global positioning system (GPS) capabilities on a cellular/mobile telephone.  These data are critical to improving stock assessments, informing discussions and management decisions related to protected species and marine spatial planning, and enhancing offshore enforcement. NOAA Fisheries is proposing complementary Federal regulations under the Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Cooperative Management Act, this would consider revising to regulations under 50 CFR 697. Federal fiscal year 2022 appropriations included approximately $14 million in assistance for lobster permit holders to comply with recent North Atlantic right whale risk reduction measures, including implementing electronic tracking requirements within the Northeast lobster fishery States have indicated they intend to use a portion of this money to defray the costs associated with the vessel tracking program, either through reimbursement or the bulk purchase and distribution of devices.