Opinion ID: 435124
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Recovery of Prospective Lost Profits

Text: 39 The defendant next argues that the lost profits due to the vessel's delay were too speculative to allow recovery because the PRISCILLA ANN was a new enterprise with no proven track record. The defendant also contends that because the success of a fishing venture is dependent upon uncontrollable factors, such as weather, determination of a lost catch is necessarily speculative. 40 The district court properly required the plaintiffs to prove their loss with reasonable certainty before allowing recovery. See Delta Marine Drilling Co. v. M/V BAROID RANGER, 454 F.2d 128 (5th Cir.1972). The plaintiffs fulfilled their burden through evidence showing the catches of three other fishing vessels during the PRISCILLA ANN's downtime. The appropriateness of the other vessels' catches for comparison was demonstrated by the PRISCILLA ANN's comparable average daily catches during the period all four vessels were fishing; indeed, during that time the PRISCILLA ANN's average catch was higher than two of the other three ships. Based on this evidence, we agree with the district court that the plaintiffs met their burden of proving their lost catch to a reasonable certainty, as the comparison vessels were subject to the same factors, such as inclement weather, that would have affected the PRISCILLA ANN had it been able to fish. Nor do we find, in light of the PRISCILLA ANN's comparable performance once it began fishing, that the fact that this was the PRISCILLA ANN's maiden fishing voyage renders a determination of damages too speculative. 15