Fourteenth Meeting of ACCOBAMS Scientific Committee

© Michel Dagnino - Musée Océanographique

The 14th Meeting of the Scientific Committee of the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) was held at Monaco’s Oceanographic Museum this week.

Around forty participants attended, including members of the Committee, regional representatives, representatives from the Sub-Regional Coordination Units (Mediterranean and Black Sea), various international organisations that work in the field of cetacean conservation (the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS), the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the European Cetacean Society (ECS), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Pelagos Agreement), ACCOBAMS partners and numerous experts.

The meeting was an opportunity for the Scientific Committee to identify the future conservation actions to be taken by its various working groups and turn them into recommendations.

Issues relating to underwater noise, cetacean population monitoring, collisions with ships and the harmful impact of pollution and marine waste were the focus of the discussions.

The recommendations will be integrated into draft resolutions to be submitted to representatives from the 24 states party to the Agreement during the 8th Meeting of the Parties in November 2022 in Malta. They will serve as the basis for developing the ACCOBAMS 2023–2025 work programme.

This international meeting was also a chance to consolidate the many collaborations based on sharing knowledge and skills between scientists from different regions of the Agreement area. The purpose of ACCOBAMS is to promote and facilitate regional cooperation at all levels by implementing the necessary measures to ensure the conservation of cetaceans.

Contact:

ACCOBAMS Secretariat

Fontvieille Terraces

UNESCO Garden

MC-98000 Monaco

Tel: +377 9898 2078

secretariat@accobams.net

www.accobams.org

     / @ACCOBAMS

     / @ACCOBAMSConservationDauphins&Baleines