Louisiana Fishers Sue Venture Global Over Alleged Damage to Fishing Grounds

A group of commercial fishers and seafood processors in southwest Louisiana are suing Venture Global, a liquefied natural gas company, over alleged damage to their fishing grounds. The plaintiffs claim that dredging operations for a new LNG terminal resulted in a sediment spill that killed millions of oysters and harmed catches of finfish, crabs, and shrimp.

The suit, filed on July 30 in the 38th Judicial District Court, is at least the third legal action against Venture Global over its CP2 project. The plaintiffs are seeking damages for dead and diminished catch, equipment losses, and continued murky water in their estuaries and fishing grounds.

Venture Global acknowledged the leak into the estuary but initially denied that sediment reached the lake. However, the company eventually admitted that the spill was significant, releasing between 9,000 and 18,000 cubic yards of sediment into a channel and marsh bordering Calcasieu Lake.

The plaintiffs are also seeking compensation for losses incurred by Pig and Rooster Oyster Farms, which had 5.3 million oysters near where the channel enters the lake. The farm's owner, David Sorrells, estimates his losses at over $5 million.