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. 

Organized in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the 4th Meeting of the Signatories of Pacific Islands Cetaceans MOU (PIC MOS4) took place virtually 5 - 6 August 2021. Participants discussed pressing conservation issues ranging from entanglement, fish aggregating devices, marine tourism to strandings, aquatic wild meat, and climate change.

The Dugong and Seagrass Toolkit has been selected as one of the 25 most noteworthy innovations in the Government sector of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Government Innovation. The selection was determined after a rigorous screening and assessment process where several contenders showcased their projects over a period of one year.

In recognition of World Seagrass Day 2021, we are thrilled to announce the official launch of the Dugong & Seagrass Hub. The Hub is a communal platform for dugong and seagrass conservationists to collate and share information, resources, best practice and lessons learned working to conserve seagrass ecosystems in dugong range states.

A collaborative effort between scientists and conservation organisations around the world, including CMS, has resulted in the launch of a new trilingual website that highlights the plight of Atlantic humpback dolphins and provides resources to support a broad range of stakeholders in an effort to protect the species. Atlantic humpback dolphins (Sousa teuszii) are considered Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and are in danger of sliding toward extinction without urgent conservation intervention.

Der umstrittene Fehmarnbelt-Tunnel kann gebaut werden

More than 450 long-finned pilot whales became stranded in harbour in Tasmania

CMS in collaboration with WWF has published Guidelines for the Safe and Humane Handling and Release of Bycaught Small Cetaceans from Fishing Gear, which set out best practice on how to handle and release small cetaceans accidentally caught in fishing gear. Preventing fisheries bycatch is a top priority to ensure the conservation of species or populations. However, when these efforts fail and small cetaceans are found alive in or on fishing gear, this clear and comprehensive set of guidelines for the fishers involved will be of great benefit.