5th Meeting of the Common Dolphin Group
On 13 and 14 January 2025, the fifth meeting of the Steering Group for the ASCOBANS Species Action Plan for the North-East Atlantic Common Dolphin (Common Dolphin Group) convened members to discuss the progress on implementation of the action plan. Areas of concern within the SAP include bycatch, as well as abundance and distribution, but also reflect other pressures such as noise pollution, hazardous substances, and other impacts of anthropogenic activities.
Regarding the first Progress Report on the implementation of the SAP, a consultant had collated all available information on the implementation of the SAP since its adoption in August 2019. In terms of outputs, the following actions appeared to have made the most progress:
Action 1: Identify the priority bycatch issues
Action 3: Implement and assess gear modifications and mitigation measures to reduce bycatch
Action 4: Implement a wide-scale surveillance programme to monitor trends in distribution and abundance in the NE Atlantic
The meeting, which focused on reporting and sharing updates, also discussed works undertaken by other relevant intergovernmental organisations. Amongst them were the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) WG on Marine Mammal Ecology (WGMME) and ICES WG on Bycatch of Protected Species (WGBYC).
Collaborative projects were highlighted, including DELMOGES, CIBBRiNA LIFE, CetAMBICion and Marine Beacon Horizon, all of which share the common objective of reducing bycatch.
An interesting discussion arose on the possibility of conducting a Transboundary Assessment for the common dolphin reporting under Article 17 of the EU Habitats Directive. A sub-group was established to work on it, with Sinéad Murphy leading.
As the meeting concluded, participants reviewed and updated Recommendations, which can be found on the ASCOBANS website here. The meeting report will be available in due course on the meeting page.
