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”).

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. 

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'.

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.