Denmark withdraws quota request at IWC

NEWS ON THE VOTE AT International Whaling Commission - 8.45PM (GMT + 1) THURSDAY 26TH JUNE 2008

The Decision - Denmark's quota request has been withdrawn by them. This follows the defeat in a vote for their amendment to catch less fin whales and replace these with 10 humpbacks. Denmark has said it will not pursue its original proposal this year, but bring them back to the next IWC meeting in a year.

Claire Bass of WSPA, comments from the IWC meeting:

"This is fantastic news as fewer whales will be cruelly killed. WSPA's investigation has given the IWC the information it needed to see through the myths of Greenlandic whaling and make the right decision. This is a significant victory in a bigger campaign to end the slaughter of whales globally and we will continue in our campaign to end all whaling."

ENDS

Notes for journalists:
- WSPA recently released the results of an investigation that showed 25% of Greenland's whales are sold commercially and result in significant profit.
- WSPA's undercover investigation revealed commercial intentions behind some of Greenland's whaling and provided IWC commissioners with the information they needed to vote against an increase in the country's quota. The report has also raised calls within the IWC for the distinction between aboriginal subsistence whaling and commercial whaling to be properly enforced, preventing an erosion of the worldwide commercial whaling ban which has been in place since 1986.

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