Sea Claims

The Meriam people depended for food and commerce not only on their gardens, but also on the foreshores, reefs and seas.

Their elaborate land tenure rules extended to these maritime areas, and the plaintiffs' claims included specific areas of both land and sea.

However, Queensland's jurisdiction ended at the three mile limit; the Commonwealth assumed control of the sea from there.

Nevertheless, for strategic reasons, the plaintiffs restricted their evidence to those claims within the three mile limit, and during the hearings Justice Moynihan heard detailed evidence about the ownership of fish traps and reefs along the coast.

Unfortunately, he was not satisfied the evidence established any form of exclusive rights to these areas, or that active enforcement of these rights occurred.