ASCOBANS works to conserve small cetaceans within the Northeast Atlantic and it has concluded conservation plans for various populations of harbour porpoise and the common dolphin. Bottlenose dolphin populations also have a range of initiatives associated with them beyond the requirements of the EU Habitats Directive. There are nine other small cetacean species regularly found in the Agreement area and these currently receive far less attention.

The workshop aimed to promote action to address the issues that they are facing by bringing together experts to firstly review what is known about them, including significant data gaps, and then brainstormed how to best take forward their conservation. Ten presentations made during the workshop are available on the ASCOBANS website, and the report will be posted in due course.

The workshop was organised as part of the 35th European Cetacean Society (ECS) Conference, on 8 April 2024 in Catania, Sicily, Italy.