Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/14pdf/13-7451_m64o.pdf
Page Number: 6

Cite as:  574 U. S. ____ (2015) 

3 

Opinion of GINSBURG, J. 

Mexico.  Her  crew  numbered  three,  including  Yates,  the 
captain.  Engaged  in  a  routine  offshore  patrol  to  inspect
both  recreational  and  commercial  vessels,  Officer  John 
Jones of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Com-
mission  decided  to  board  the  Miss  Katie  to  check  on  the 
vessel’s compliance with fishing rules.  Although the Miss 
Katie was far enough from the Florida coast to be in exclu-
sively federal waters, she was nevertheless within Officer
Jones’s  jurisdiction.  Because  he  had  been  deputized  as  a 
federal  agent  by  the  National  Marine  Fisheries  Service, 
Officer  Jones  had  authority  to  enforce  federal,  as  well  as 
state, fishing laws. 

Upon  boarding  the  Miss  Katie,  Officer  Jones  noticed 
three red grouper that appeared to be undersized hanging 
from a hook on the deck.  At the time, federal conservation 
regulations required immediate release of red grouper less 
than  20  inches  long.  50  CFR  §622.37(d)(2)(ii)  (effective
April  2,  2007).  Violation  of  those  regulations  is  a  civil
offense punishable by a fine or fishing license suspension.
See 16 U. S. C. §§1857(1)(A), (G), 1858(a), (g). 

Suspecting  that  other  undersized  fish  might  be  on
board, Officer Jones proceeded to inspect the ship’s catch,
setting  aside  and  measuring  only  fish  that  appeared  to 
him to be shorter than 20 inches.  Officer Jones ultimately
determined that 72 fish fell short of the 20-inch mark.  A 
fellow officer recorded the length of each of the undersized 
fish  on  a  catch  measurement  verification  form.  With  few 
exceptions,  the  measured  fish  were  between  19  and  20 
inches;  three  were  less  than  19  inches;  none  were  less 
than  18.75  inches.  After  separating  the  fish  measuring 
below 20 inches from the rest of the catch by placing them
in wooden crates, Officer Jones directed Yates to leave the 
fish,  thus  segregated,  in  the  crates  until  the  Miss  Katie 
returned  to  port.  Before  departing,  Officer  Jones  issued
Yates a citation for possession of undersized fish. 

Four  days  later,  after  the  Miss  Katie  had  docked  in