Australia: Judge to Decide on Gladstone Fishermen Case

Gladstone fishermen are waiting anxiously for a Brisbane judge to decide whether their multi-million-dollar compensation claim against the state government can proceed, reports news.ninemsn.com.

The fishermen reject the State Government hypothesis that tonnes of fish have become diseased because of flooding more than a year ago, instead blaming dredging and port construction.

Impacts were widespread because of the size of the dredging project and the failure to employ best practice such as the use of silt curtains.

Judge David Searles heard the case on Monday in the Environment and Planning Court in Brisbane.

[mappress]

Dredging Today Staff, July 18, 2012; Image: westernbasinportdevelopment