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 third Sunday in May of each year is the International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise (IDBHP). It was introduced 20 years ago by the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (UNEP/ASCOBANS). IDBHP aims to raise awareness on the critical conservation status of the only cetacean species population native to the Baltic Sea.

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.

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'.