Bonn, 21 June 2022 - The ASCOBANS Secretariat is welcoming Expressions of Interest (EOI) from qualified organisations or individuals to review and update the ASCOBANS Conservation Plan for Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena L.) in the North Sea (or the “North Sea Plan”).

The North Sea Plan is a result of a collaborative effort organised under the auspices of ASCOBANS. It is the culmination of a series of scientific initiatives and meetings over several years, starting in 2002. The 5th International Conference for the Protection of the North Sea (Bergen, Norway, March 2002) called for a recovery plan for harbour porpoises in the North Sea to be developed and adopted. Germany volunteered in 2003 to draft a conservation plan within the framework of ASCOBANS and in association with Range State Norway. The North Sea Plan was adopted by ASCOBANS Parties in 2009.

Since 2011, annual meetings of the North Sea Group have been held. This is the plan’s Steering Group, composed of representatives from the environment and fisheries sectors of the countries surrounding the North Sea as well as NGO and fisheries organisation representatives. The North Sea Group’s task is to evaluate progress in development and implementation of the Plan (specifically with regards to each of the actions defined in the Plan), promote and coordinate the implementation of the Plan, gather information on its implementation and the results obtained, and make recommendations for actions to the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee. The plan is subject to regular periodic review, as laid down in section 4.1.3 of the plan itself.

Building on the existing North Sea Plan, the recent recommendations and comments of the North Sea Group, the regular Progress Reports, as well as various scientific publications relevant to harbour porpoise conservation in the North Sea region, and in close consultation with the Members of the North Sea Group and the ASCOBANS Secretariat, a draft revision of the North Sea Plan should be developed.

The scope of the work will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following tasks:

1. Review existing material and research results, such as:
   • The existing North Sea Plan, and for comparison the other three ASCOBANS Species Action Plans
   • Reports and recommendations of the 8th, 9th, and 10th Meetings of the North Sea Group
   • Progress Reports on the North Sea Plan
   • Relevant recent publications in scientific journals

2. Prepare a detailed draft version of the North Sea Plan (Draft 1), following the “Guidance for the Development of ASCOBANS Species Action Plans” and in close consultation with the North Sea Group and the ASCOBANS Secretariat (in writing, on individual chapters of the draft and/or the entire document)

3. Present the draft to the 11th Meeting of the North Sea Group (31 January - 1 February 2023) and following this meeting, prepare a revised version (Draft 2), again in consultation with the North Sea Group and the ASCOBANS Secretariat, by 31 March 2023.