1 September 2016: The Eighth Meeting of the Parties (MOP 8) to the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans in the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS) reviewed the implementation of the Agreement and adopted thirteen resolutions to address pressures on dolphins, porpoises and whales. The resolutions propose actions to address current conservation challenges, including bycatch, ocean energy, pollution and anthropogenic noise, among other issues.

MOP 8 took place from 30 August to 1 September 2016 in Helsinki, Finland. ASCOBANS is a daughter agreement of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). Parties meet on a four-year cycle to assess the Agreement’s implementation and decide on measures to ensure species conservation.

Parties discussed a Resolution on Monitoring and Mitigation of Small Cetacean Bycatch, which stresses that bycatch remains the greatest threat to many aquatic and marine species. The agreed ASCOBANS Resolution aims to reduce losses from bycatch to less than one percent annually by implementing measures to protect the harbor porpoise population in the Baltic Sea, which are becoming trapped in gillnets and trammel nets, and common dolphins in the northeast Atlantic.

Also addressed, the ‘CMS Family Guidelines on Environmental Impact Assessments for Marine Noise-generating Activities’ recognize the effects of human-generated noise on a range of species from marine otters and polar bears to fish, cetaceans and turtles as well as the indirect impacts of noise pollution on species whose prey is negatively affected. The guidelines provide assessment criteria for underwater activities, clarify when monitoring is required and suggest mitigation measures.

The meeting also agreed on a ‘Resolution on Ocean Energy,’ which calls for research on the impacts of ocean energy generation on cetaceans and porpoises throughout the lifetime of energy capture installation. It underscores the importance of monitoring to understand the effects of ocean energy on species’ abundance, distribution, behavior and habitat. The resolution aims to encourage sustainable utilization of ocean energy while also accounting for and alleviating possible impacts on protected species.

Participants also discussed and agreed on a ‘Resolution on Addressing the Threats from Underwater Munitions,’ which recognizes the threats from weapons dumped in the sea during and after the two World Wars. Cetaceans can ingest chemicals in the weapons, such as sulphur mustard, which can then accumulate in their tissues, while fishermen are at risk from unexpected explosions. The resolution aims to support research on the risks that such munitions pose for marine species and habitats by mapping dump site locations, among other actions. [CMS Press Release on Outcomes] [CMS Press Release on Underwater Noise] [CMS Press Release on Ocean Energy] [Draft Resolution on Ocean Energy] [CMS Press Release on Underwater Munitions] [CMS Press Release on Turbines and Ocean Energy] [CMS Press Release on Bycatch] [CMS Press Release on Cetacean Conservation] [CMS Press Release on Whale and Dolphin Conservation] [Meeting Website] [Wild Migration Press Release]