ASCOBANS Newsletter / December 2022

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In this issue:

Delphinus delphis © Benjamin GUICHARD / French biodiversity agency.

3rd Meeting of the ASCOBANS Common Dolphin Group

The 3rd Meeting of the Steering Group for the ASCOBANS Species Action Plan (SAP) for the North-East Atlantic Common Dolphin (Common Dolphin Group) was held online from 15 to 16 November 2022. Attended by 30 participants from France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, the UK, European Commission, ACCOBAMS, and a number of NGOs and academic institutions, CDG3 discussed progress in SAP implementation and a number of other topics feeding into that progress.
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Harbour porpoise © Hanna Michel.

27th Meeting of the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee

The 27th meeting of the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee (AC27) took place online, for the second consecutive time, from 28 to 30 September 2022. This meeting covered bycatch, resource depletion, marine debris, surveys and research, and use of stranding records, as requested in ASCOBANS Resolution 8.1 (Rev.MOP9).
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Tursiops truncatus © Benjamin GUICHARD / French biodiversity agency.

Second Workshop on Management of MPAs for Small Cetaceans in Helsinki, Finland

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The International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise 2022

International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise 15 May 2022

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JG18 in full swing. ©  Jenny Renell, ASCOBANS Secretariat

18th Meeting of the Jastarnia Group

For the first time in nearly three years, participants could gather for a face-to-face meeting of ASCOBANS again. The 18th Meeting of the Jastarnia Group took place in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 28 to 30 March 2022, and was also attended by a small number of online participants.
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Thirty Years of Conservation Measures for Small Cetaceans in European Seas

Thursday 17 March 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS) – a regional environmental treaty of the United Nations. Concerns over the impacts of human activities on small cetaceans led to the negotiation of ASCOBANS under the auspices of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). The Agreement was concluded on 17 March 1992 and has subsequently been signed by 10 countries. 
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Statement of Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of ASCOBANS to Mark the 30th Anniversary of the Agreement

Today, we celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of ASCOBANS – the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North-East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas. ASCOBANS grew out of concerns over the impacts of human activities on small whales, dolphins and porpoises, especially the harbour porpoise. The Agreement was concluded on 17 March 1992 and subsequently signed by 10 countries.
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Photo by NOAA on Unsplash

Article Published on Ecosystem Effects of Small Cetaceans

Small cetaceans may have big effects on ecosystem structure, dynamics, and function. A new article Functional Roles and Ecological Importance of Small Cetaceans in Aquatic Ecosystems has been published in Frontiers in Marine Science (open access) as a part of the research topic 'Small Cetacean Conservation: Current Challenges and Opportunities'.
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Common dolphins by Josh Wilson of AK Wildlife Cruises Falmouth | @oshuwilson

ASCOBANS 30: The Beginnings

Concerns over the conservation status of small cetaceans, especially harbour porpoises, led to the establishment of the "Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Sea" (ASCOBANS).
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© Florian Graner

10th Meeting of the North Sea Group

The tenth Meeting of the Steering Group for the ASCOBANS Conservation Plan for Harbour Porpoises in the North Sea (the North Sea Group) took place online from 18th to 19th January 2022. Chaired by Prof Peter Evans (Bangor University & Sea Watch Foundation UK), the aim of the meeting was to exchange countries' updates on the implementation of actions listed in the Conservation Plan.
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