Common Dolphin Group Opens 2026 at ASCOBANS With Major Findings and Calls for Action

The 6th Meeting of the ASCOBANS Common Dolphin Group (CDG), held online on 13–14 January 2026, brought together over 40 participants from Range States, including government representatives, researchers, IGOs, NGOs, and fisheries organisations. The meeting reviewed the status of common dolphins across the Northeast Atlantic and the progress in implementing the Common Dolphin Species Action Plan,  and coordinated conservation actions for the coming years. The meeting opened with organisational updates, including the announcement that long‑standing Co‑Chair Florence Caurant will be stepping down, whose position is still open for applications. The meeting then commenced with a wide‑ranging review of progress under the Species Action Plan.

Range States reported substantial developments in monitoring, research and bycatch mitigation. France outlined regulatory measures implemented under the Delegated Authority, including a one‑month closure for high‑risk fishing gears and expanded remote electronic monitoring. The UK highlighted major advances in long‑term data integration through the Joint Cetacean Data Programme, alongside new national strategies addressing bycatch, noise, pollution and habitat protection. Ireland presented striking new abundance estimates from the ObSERVE II programme, showing a dramatic increase in common dolphin numbers in Irish waters in 2021–2022, while Spain and Portugal reported contrasting regional patterns, including Spain’s unprecedented absence of dolphins in the Cantabrian Sea during spring 2025 surveys.

Stranding networks provided detailed updates on mortality patterns, causes of death and emerging hotspots. Ireland reported a 15% decline in strandings in 2025 but a sharp rise in live strandings, driven by geographic features in areas such as Blacksod and Brandon Bays. The UK’s long‑running CSIP programme confirmed sustained high winter–spring strandings and the continued prominence of bycatch as a leading cause of death. However, in both UK and Irish waters, there has been a marked increase in strandings linked to disease and emaciation.  A Europe‑wide review of stranding networks highlighted their essential role in monitoring population health, while also identifying gaps in funding, spatial coverage and necropsy capacity.

The meeting also reviewed new scientific work on population structure, genetics, abundance estimation and ecosystem change. Updates from large‑scale surveys such as SCANS and ObSERVE underscored rapid shifts in distribution, with Ireland now hosting the majority of the estimated regional population in recent years. Presentations covered diet, body condition, pollutant burdens (including PFAS), life‑history traits and demographic indicators, as well as new modelling approaches to assess population trajectories under different bycatch and contaminant scenarios.

Bycatch mitigation remained a central theme, with multiple EU‑funded projects reporting progress. DELMOGES, CIBBRiNA, Marine Guardian and Marine Beacon presented advances in acoustic deterrent testing, drift modelling, remote monitoring, and risk assessment. Portugal and France outlined national action plans nearing completion or implementation, while the UK described ongoing trials of pingers, net reflectors and passive acoustic technologies. Discussions emphasised the need for coordinated, large‑scale monitoring and harmonised approaches across jurisdictions.

The meeting concluded with updates from intergovernmental bodies, a review of recommendations, and discussions on strategic priorities for the coming years. The meeting report, together with the revised list of recommendations, will be available in due course in the meeting page.