Tribunal Rules Against Environmentalists In Shark Case

October 18, 2007

Release from: ABC News (Australia)

Environmentalists have lost an appeal to have fishing banned in 16 grey nurse shark habitats off the New South Wales coast.

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal, despite acknowledging there is only 500 grey nurse sharks left, has ruled against the Nature Conservation Council because it says protecting the endangered sharks is up to the New South Wales Government.

The Nature Conservation Council argued that fishing was reducing the grey nurse population to critically low numbers.

The Council's Cate Faehrmann says she hopes the State Government will close off the habitats when it considers the issue next month.

"In terms of looking at the next step, they said because the State Government is going to consider, by the 16th of November, closing off these sites, it's over to them," she said.

"We didn't protect it this time with this court case, but we have another month's worth of campaigning. We'll go to the NSW Government and say, 'okay, the ball's in your court'."