Since this involves agencies regulating fisheries I suspect that they are trying to get accurate data about aquatic life taken during fishing activities so that they can make accurate estimates of a species ability to thrive in an area and perhaps to drive legislation that would protect areas from over-fishing.
I don't think they give a shit about knowing which boat was where unless that boat is engaged in illegal activities. Smuggling in the states that are mentioned is still a thing since that is on a direct path from the Caribbean and northern parts of South America where illegal drugs originate.
Knowing which boat was where allows them to determine who might be meeting the smugglers. Once you shut down the airspace to traffickers it is a natural extension to try to limit their ability to shift to maritime assets to ship their products into the country through small ports or marinas in backwater locations.
I don't see this monitoring as an invasion of anyone's privacy. I see it more as an extension of border enforcement mechanisms to domains which have historically been difficult to control.
I don't think they give a shit about knowing which boat was where unless that boat is engaged in illegal activities. Smuggling in the states that are mentioned is still a thing since that is on a direct path from the Caribbean and northern parts of South America where illegal drugs originate.
Knowing which boat was where allows them to determine who might be meeting the smugglers. Once you shut down the airspace to traffickers it is a natural extension to try to limit their ability to shift to maritime assets to ship their products into the country through small ports or marinas in backwater locations.
I don't see this monitoring as an invasion of anyone's privacy. I see it more as an extension of border enforcement mechanisms to domains which have historically been difficult to control.