Argentina's Río Grande Federal Court Accepts Collective Environmental Lawsuit by Fundación Agustina Lerena; 12 Galician Fishing Companies and Others Face Claims of Up to USD 26.464 Billion

In a ruling it described as unprecedented, Judge Mariel E. Borruto of the Federal Court of First Instance in Río Grande, Argentina, fully exercised territorial and subject-matter jurisdiction over Case FCR 16446/2026. The case is titled "Fundación Agustina Lerena v. Pesquera Moradiña SL et al. on Collective Amparo."

The ruling confirmed the plaintiffs' standing to bring environmental litigation and ordered preliminary investigative measures before deciding on an emergency injunction seeking to stop illegal fishing in the waters of the Malvinas Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The ruling is consistent with Legal Opinions No. 320/2026 and No. 341/2026 issued by Federal Prosecutor Marcelo Rapoport, and reaffirms the Argentine Republic's sovereign jurisdiction over its exclusive economic zone under Laws No. 24.922, No. 23.968 and No. 24.400.

The collective lawsuit, led by Dr. César Augusto Lerena and represented by constitutional lawyer Dr. Eduardo Salvador Barcesat, seeks up to USD 26.464 billion in damages from 12 Galician fishing companies, 7 colonial-flag joint ventures, 4 banks, 3 shipyards and insurance companies.

To assess the requested injunction, the court has formally incorporated the scientific report of Argentina's National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP), as well as satellite tracking records from Argentina's Naval Prefecture system (Guardacostas).

This report was published by the fisheries information agency FIS/Seafood Media Group on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, with the country listed as Argentina.