14 DAY TRIAL // Justice Edelman with the Western Australia Supreme Court claims that, regardless of what green group Sea Shepherd and its supporters might think about the state's ongoing shark cull, the fact remains that there simply aren't enough reasons for this initiative to be subjected to a full judicial review.
Consequently, there are no legal grounds for the cull to be halted, let alone put an end to altogether, Justice Edelman further explains. Otherwise put, Western Australia can go on slaughtering sharks.
On its website, green group Sea Shepherd details that it was just yesterday when justice Edelman denied the organization's and Sharon Burden's application for a full judicial review of the shark cull.
“Justice Edelman ruled that there are no reasonable grounds for a full hearing, denying a request for an interim injunction to suspend the 60 drum lines currently in place around the state’s coastline,” the organization writes.
It goes without saying that both Sea Shepherd and Sharon Burden, who happens to be the mother of a shark attack victim, were fairly disappointed with justice Edelman's decision to allow the killing of sharks in Western Australian waters to continue unabated.
However, neither the organization nor Sharon Burden has any intention to quit protesting the initiative and trying to put an end to it. On the contrary, the conservationists say that they will take some time to regroup, and then try and approach the problem from another angle.
“Sea Shepherd Australia will continue our work to save the sharks of Western Australia, exploring all options available to us,” Jeff Hansen, the current managing director of Sea Shepherd Australia said in a statement issued after justice Edelman ruled against the proposed injunction.
“We will not cease in our efforts until these cruel, barbaric, unsafe and environmentally unsustainable drum lines are removed permanently,” the conservationist further stressed.
The ongoing shark cull in Western Australia is intended to make local waters a tad safer. As part of this program, several dozen drum lines have been set in place at a distance of about 1 kilometers (0.62 miles) from the state's coastline.
Bull, tiger, and white sharks measuring more than 3 meters (roughly 9.8 feet) that are unlucky enough to get caught in these drum lines are to be killed, and their bodies disposed of at sea.
Together with Sharon Burden, Sea Shepherd is looking to end the shark cull on the grounds that the species it targets are in danger of going extinct and therefore need be protected, not killed.