The Solomon Islands High Court has ordered the government to pay more than a million US dollars in damages to a company for stopping its export of live dolphins.
The case had been brought by Marine Exports Limited and targetted moves in 2005 by the Ministry of Fisheries to stop the trade.
The Solomon Star reports the company was first granted a permit to export dolphins to Mexico in 2003.
But in 2005, the cabinet decided to effectively ban such exports, with the company successfully arguing in court that an arbitrary and oppressive act had been committed by the state.
The cost of the hearing has also been ordered to be paid by the government.
