There is evidence that the harbor porpoise population in the Kattegat, Danish Straits and Baltic west of the Darss-Limhamn line, which is currently not covered by either the Jastarnia Plan or the North Sea Plan adopted under ASCOBANS, may be in severe decline. In order to address this problem, the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee decided that a consultant should be commissioned to develop, with intersessional input from the Jastarnia Group, a draft paper containing background information and proposed objectives and measures for the “gap area” currently not covered by the Jastarnia Plan. This paper should be reviewed and refined by the 8th Meeting of the Jastarnia Group with a view to enabling formal adoption of such objectives and measures by the 7th Meeting of the Parties.”
Applicants are requested to make an offer to the Secretariat by 15 April 2011. Please refer to the Terms of Reference for details.

18th Meeting of the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee Successfully Concluded

9 May 2011 - The ASCOBANS Advisory Committee (AC) held its 18th Meeting from 4-6 May 2011 at the Secretariat's premises, the historical high-rise building Langer Eugen in the city of Bonn, Germany. The first meeting to be guided by a new team, Sami Hassani (France) as the new Chair and Penina Blankett (Finland) as Vice-Chair, the 29 representatives of the ten Parties and 15 observers and invited experts provided advice and information to the Parties and the Secretariat on how to implement the decisions of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP).

In particular, intersessional tasks for working groups on bycatch and underwater noise were agreed. Collaboration with fisheries organizations and the European Commission were prioritised. The Committee also accepted the invitation of the sister Agreement ACCOBAMS to form a joint working group on the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive. At the 2012 Annual Conference of the European Cetacean Society, a joint workshop with ECS and ACCOBAMS would be held on the implementation of the cetacean components of the Habitats Directive.

Seven project proposals were discussed and prioritised, and a project to undertake a survey of harbour porpoises and other cetaceans in the Dogger Bank (Southern North Sea) was identified as the first priority for funding.

A list of action points and decisions, as adopted by Parties at the end of the meeting, can be accessed here. The full report will be made available on this website shortly.

15 May 2011: The 9th International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise

On Sunday, 15 May 2011, the International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise will be celebrated around the shores of the Baltic Sea for the 9th time.

The Secretariat has received notification of events planned in Germany (Aquazoo Düsseldorf and Zoo Duisburg), Lithuania (Lithuanian Sea Museum) and Poland (Polish Ecological Club/Coalition Clean Baltic and Hel Marine Station).

The Aquazoo Düsseldorf in Germany is planning to display the ASCOBANS exhibition in German, which has been made available through the Secretariat, and set up an information stand on the Baltic harbour porpoise. A porpoise skull will be exhibited along with a life-size silhouette of a harbour porpoise. Educational games for children are planned. ASCOBANS leaflets, brochures, posters and postcards have been passed to the organizers.

The Zoo Duisburg is planning to display the German-language ASCOBANS exhibition along with information material for a series of talks and presentations that will be given at the end of the month. The zoo will receive outreach material and the exhibition banners from the Secretariat.

The Lithuanian Sea Museum is again joining in the celebration of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise Day. The entire third week of May will be dedicated to the education of children about harbour porpoises and the threats they face in the Baltic Sea. Specialists of the Lithuanian Sea Museum together with scientists from Klaipeda University will spread information about porpoises at schools, some educational programmes will be held in the museum and as the highlight at the end of the week children from an art school will make sculptures of harbour Porpoises.

The Polish Ecological Club in collaboration with Coalition Clean Baltic has produced stickers "The Baltic Sea starts here" in all local languages. Several hundred of these stickers in the Polish language have been made available to Hel Marine Station for use in their annual event on the occasion of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise Day.



This year, the ASCOBANS Secretariat will deliver guest lectures on the biology and conservation of the harbour porpoise in the Baltic Sea in three universities along the German Baltic coast - on 11 May the lecture will be given in Greifswald, on 12 May in Rostock and on 13 May in Kiel. The ASCOBANS exhibition as well as information material will be taken along.

Information about IDBHP events of the past is contained in the Handbook, which can be downloaded here.

All participating institutions are encouraged to report back to the Secretariat about their events. We will put a short report on the activities on this website and include the information and photos in the next update of the Handbook.

14 March 2011: Consultancy Position - Coordinator for the ASCOBANS North Sea Harbour Porpoise Conservation Plan - deadline for applications 15 April

In 2009, the Parties to ASCOBANS adopted the Conservation Plan for Harbour Porpoises in the North Sea (available here). It foresees the appointment of a coordinator and time-limited funding is available for a part-time consultant fulfilling this function. The contract will be awarded to a relevant institution or experienced individual based in a North Sea Party to ASCOBANS. Applicants are requested to make an offer specifying the total time they would commit to this contract for the fee outlined.
Applicants are requested to make an offer to the Secretariat by 15 April 2011. Please refer to the Terms of Reference for details.

WWF Announces 5th International Smart Gear Competition - submissions accepted until 31 August 2011

4 March 2011 - Initiated in 2004, the WWF International Smart Gear Competition now takes place for the 5th time. Fishermen, backyard inventors, students and others have been invited to submit entries for the best new fishing gear to reduce bycatch. The competition will be accepting submissions from 1 March to 31 August 2011 and offers prizes of a total value of $US 57,500.
This biennial initiative aims to find innovative ways to make fishing gear more environmentally friendly by reducing the capture of unwanted marine life, typically termed 'bycatch'. "WWF's goal with the Smart Gear competition is to inspire innovative ideas for environmentally-friendly fishing gear," said Dr. Bill Fox, Vice President of Fisheries for WWF-US. "In addition to fishermen losing millions of dollars each year due to bycatch, many other species, including endangered marine life, are unintentionally and needlessly killed by antiquated fishing gear. "This competition identifies real-world solutions so fishermen can fish 'smarter' - allowing them to maintain a commercially viable business while helping to maintain ocean health."
Bycatch is one of the main threats for the species covered by ASCOBANS, as well as virtually all marine species listed on the Appendices of the Convention on Migratory Species, many of which are also protected under regional agreements, covering cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), marine turtles, seabirds, seals, sirenians (dugongs and manatees) and sharks.
More information on the 5th WWF International Smart Gear Competition can be found here.

Call for Proposals for Project Funding through ASCOBANS - deadline 15 February

12 January 2011 - As in previous years, the ASCOBANS Secretariat expects to be able to support a few research and conservation projects in 2011from savings made on the previous year's budget. At the next Advisory Committee Meeting, to be held in May 2011, Parties will make a decision regarding the utilization of the expected surplus.
To apply for funding for your project through ASCOBANS, please use this form.
The general conditions of funding are outlined in the document and give information on the type of project we can support through the Agreement. The maximum sum the Agreement will spend on any one project is 15,000 Euro. Co-funding from other institutions is welcome. All projects should clearly outline how they would contribute to achieving the conservation objectives of ASCOBANS. The deadline for submission to the Secretariat is 15 February 2011.
For any questions, please contact the ASCOBANS Secretariat.

The ASCOBANS Secretariat Team would like to express their gratitude to the artist Karin Klug, who kindly donated the design for our beautiful Season's Greetings card to us.

UNEP/CMS Thesis Award on Migratory Species Conservation

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig, Bonn (ZFMK) announce the call for applications of the third UNEP/CMS Thesis Award on Migratory Species Conservation, sponsored by Lufthansa.

The UNEP/CMS Thesis Award on Migratory Species Conservation was launched by the Secretariat of the Bonn Convention on Migratory Species, on the occasion of its 25th Anniversary in 2004. It was conferred for the first time at the 8th Conference of the Parties in 2005. The Award amounting to € 10,000 is conferred every three years at the Conference of the Parties. The thesis should provide new data and insights into the biology of migratory species or external factors disrupting their migration patterns. Research results must be applicable to conservation measures for the benefit of migratory species.

The application process for 2011 is now open. The winner will be awarded at the 10th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to CMS (COP10) in Norway in November 2011. The deadline for the online application is 15 April 2011.

Please click here for more detailed information: http://www.cms.int/thesis_award/

4-6 May 2011: 18th Meeting of the Advisory Committee, UN Campus, Bonn, Germany

14-16 February 2011: 7th Meeting of the Jastarnia Group, Copenhagen, Denmark

22 November 2010 - Upon the kind invitation of Denmark, the 7th Meeting of the ASCOBANS Jastarnia Working Group will take place in Copenhagen from 14-16 February 2011.
The Jastarnia Group was established to take forward the implementation of the Recovery Plan for the Baltic Harbour Porpoise (also called Jastarnia Plan) and includes experts from the environment and fisheries sectors from around the Baltic Sea. Despite international recognition of the need for strict protection of the Baltic sub-population of the harbour porpoise, which is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, and the long-standing efforts on its behalf under ASCOBANS, its conservation status still gives reason for grave concern. The Jastarnia Group reviews annually new developments and research and makes recommendations to the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee.
Participants are requested to register by 14 January 2011. More information can be requested from the ASCOBANS Secretariat.

AC17 Pushes the Implementation of the ASCOBANS Work Plan 2010-2012 Ahead

6 October 2010 - The ASCOBANS Advisory Committee (AC) held its 17th Meeting from 4-6 October 2010 at the Secretariat's premises, the historical high-rise building Langer Eugen in the city of Bonn, Germany. The AC provides advice and information to the Parties and the Secretariat between the sessions of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP), where also the work plan for the triennium gets agreed. Nine of the ten member states to the Agreement were represented at the AC17 Meeting, as well as eight non-governmental organizations and several invited experts.
It was the last meeting to be chaired by the team Stefan Bräger (Germany) as Chair and Jan Haelters (Belgium) as Vice-Chair. After three successful meetings, they have passed the responsibility to Sami Hassani (France) as the new Chair and Penina Blankett (Finland) as Vice-Chair, who will lead the Committee starting with its 18th Meeting in 2011.
Among the decisions made at this meeting are the establishment of intersessional working groups for the Conservation Plan for Harbour Porpoises in the North Sea, on bycatch and on noise. Further, a Communication, Education and Public Awareness (CEPA) Plan for the Agreement was adopted. Four projects were selected which would receive funding from ASCOBANS resources, covering an inventory of harbour porpoise presence in the Russian Baltic, a feasibility study on the creation of a common web-accessed strandings database, an investigation of pollutant exposure in coastal top predators and a study on harbour porpoise and fishery interactions in the North West Iberian peninsula.
A list of action points and decisions, as adopted by Parties at the end of the meeting, can be accessed here. The full report will be made available on this website shortly.

29 September 2010: Launch of the HELCOM/ASCOBANS Harbour Porpoise Map Service
HELCOM announced today the launch of an online harbour porpoise map service. It is part of the new integrated map and data service which allows users to access and visualize a wide range of data on activities and pollution loads affecting the Baltic marine environment. It can be accessed at http://maps.helcom.fi/website/HarbourPorpoise/index.html.
The harbour porpoise map service was developed in co-operation and with funding from ASCOBANS. Institutions from all the Baltic Sea countries have contributed data to the database, which will be updated as new information becomes available.
The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is the only cetacean species inhabiting the Baltic Sea. The population inhabiting the Baltic Proper has been classified as 'critically endangered' by IUCN, justified by the consideration that the current population size is fewer than 250 mature individuals and continues to decline. Although neither the original population size nor the carrying capacity of the Baltic Proper has been quantified, it appears likely that the population size decreased considerably in the 20th century owing to anthropogenic impacts.
The full press release can be accessed here

27 September 2010: Open Tender for Assessment of Bycatch in Gill Net Fisheries - deadline for offers 25 October 2010
The CMS Secretariat has issued a tender notice for a global assessment of bycatch in gill net fisheries. The contractor will be required to carry out a comprehensive review of gill net fisheries to assess the available information on the bycatch of seabirds, marine turtles, sharks and marine mammals, under the stewardship of the CMS Conference-appointed Scientific Councillor for bycatch. While there is a general interest in all migratory species, of particular concern are species listed on the CMS appendices, many of which are threatened with extinction. The review should also identify mitigation measures aimed at reducing mortalities of migratory species due to interactions with gill net fishing gear, and assess their effectiveness.
Please refer to the Tender Notice for details.

First Newsletter of the SAMBAH Project

17 September 2010 - SAMBAH (Static Acoustic Monitoring of the Baltic Sea Harbour Porpoise) is an international LIFE+ funded project involving all EU countries around the Baltic Sea, with the ultimate goal of securing the conservation of the Baltic Sea harbour porpoise. The lack of knowledge on the number of animals and their habitat preferences makes effective conservation difficult. Therefore there is an urgent need for collecting data on the size and range of the population and the fluctuation over time. SAMBAH seeks to address this. The project thus which serves to fulfil recommendations made in the Jastarnia Plan (Recovery Plan for Baltic Harbour Porpoises).

The ASCOBANS Secretariat is providing in-kind and, with the help of a voluntary contribution from Germany, financial support to SAMBAH with respect to the production of outreach material necessary for the project.

The first project newsletter can be accessed here

Re-scheduled 17th Meeting of the Advisory Committee to take place from 4-6 October 2010

1 June 2010 - The dates for the postponed 17th ASCOBANS Advisory Committee Meeting, which had to be cancelled on short notice in April 2010, have now been set. The rescheduled meeting will take place from 4-6 October 2010 at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany. Papers already available on the meeting's web page will remain available with their document code unchanged unless withdrawn or updated by the submitter.

For any questions, please contact the ASCOBANS Secretariat.

Hannes Jaenicke Speaks up for Migratory Animals

21 May 2010 - The German actor and conservationist, Hannes Jaenicke, has released a message on the International Day of Biodiversity to highlight the plight of endangered migratory species worldwide.
He started a series of documentaries on endangered animals as a public appeal for active commitment towards conservation. Following his films on orang utans and polar bears, his most recent one "Wildlife Underground Sharks" was launched at the Berlin Film Festival in February. At the same time, CMS concluded the first global agreement on sharks. Jaenicke's environmental credentials include winning the DIVA Earth Award. Hannes Jaenicke is also supporting the Convention on Migratory Species in his capacity as chair of the German charity "Friends of CMS".



[Click here to view the video] [Klicken Sie hier für die deutsche Version]

HELCOM 2010 Holistic Assessment: the Baltic Sea in Trouble

20 May 2010 - A holistic assessment of the Baltic Sea was released today at the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting taking place in Moscow. According to the report the Baltic Sea ecosystem has degraded to such an extent that its capacity to deliver goods and services to humans living in the nine coastal states has been hampered. None of the open basins of the Baltic Sea has an acceptable ecosystem health status. The full press release by HELCOM can be found here.

The poor condition of the Baltic Sea environment is of concern also to ASCOBANS, where the only population of small cetaceans listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN is found: the Baltic harbour porpoise. Abundant only a few decades ago, this genetically distinct subpopulation is now reduced to a few hundred animals.

ASCOBANS is cooperating with HELCOM to achieve a better the protection of the species. For example, in a joint project a database on harbour porpoise sightings, strandings and by-catch is being updated and integrated in the HELCOM environmental information system. There is mutual representation at relevant meetings, such as the ASCOBANS Jastarnia Group, which supports the implementation of the ASCOBANS Recovery Plan for Baltic Harbour Porpoises, and the HELCOM Fisheries/Environment Forum.

A Day for the Harbour Porpoise in the Baltic Sea: Reports Received

Some highlights of the events that took place in Poland, Lithuania, Sweden and Germany are outlined here.

A Day for the Harbour Porpoise in the Baltic Sea: 16 May 2010

14 May 2010 - On Sunday, 16 May 2010 the International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise will be marked. Since 2003, this special day is being celebrated by institutions and organizations around the Baltic Sea to inform the public about this critically endangered population of marine mammals and the threats it faces.

The full press release in English and German provides further information, including a preview of planned activities around the Baltic Sea. The ASCOBANS Secretariat would like to express its gratitude to all who participate in the event!

Following the event, reports of all activities focusing on this year's International Day of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise will be published with photos on this website.

!!! 17th Meeting of the Advisory Committee POSTPONED !!!

19 April 2010 - Due to the ongoing flight restrictions in large parts of Europe, which make it impossible for the majority of national delegations to be present, the Secretariat today had to take the decision to postpone the 17th Meeting of the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee (AC) until further notice. Originally the meeting was foreseen to take place this week from 21-23 April in Cornwall at the 'Eden Project'. The Secretariat and host country are now trying to find alternative dates. Possible time slots will be announced as soon as possible.
For any questions, please contact the ASCOBANS Secretariat.

ASCOBANS Jastarnia Group met at Hel Marine Station, Poland

Credit: Pawel Bloch, Hel Marine Station

1 March 2010 - Upon the kind invitation of the Polish Ministry of Environment, the ASCOBANS Jastarnia Group gathered for its 6th meeting in Hel, Poland. This working group was established to take forward the implementation of the Recovery Plan for the Baltic Harbour Porpoise (also called Jastarnia Plan). 22 participants from the environment and fisheries sectors met at the Hel Marine Station near Gdynia.
Under the chairmanship of Mr Rüdiger Strempel the Group considered the progress made with respect to the various recommendations of the Jastarnia Plan and agreed on recommendations to be forwarded to the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee. These cover topics such as the support of the SAMBAH Project (Static Acoustic Monitoring of the Baltic Harbour Porpoise), by-catch reduction, research priorities, awareness-raising and cooperation with the fisheries sector and HELCOM. The Group also considered how the gap area between the two ASCOBANS harbour porpoise action plans, i.e. the western Baltic, Inner Danish Waters and Kattegat/Skagerrak, should best be covered.
The report of the meeting will become available shortly and will be published on this website.

Vacancy Announcement: ASCOBANS Coordinator/CMS Marine Mammals Officer (deadline for applications: 18 April 2010)
17 February 2010 - Today, the position of ASCOBANS Coordinator (75%) and CMS Marine Mammals Officer (25%) has been announced online for recruitment. This P2 position, officially termed 'Associate Programme Officer', has been launched following the decision of ASCOBANS Parties at their 6th Meeting (2009) to continue the joint Secretariat arrangement with CMS, installed in January 2007, for a second triennium, i.e. until the end of the year 2012.
Recruitment will be exclusively through the United Nations Human Resources 'Galaxy' e-Staffing System. The deadline for applications is 18 April 2010.

New Scientific Review on Toothed Whales Now Online

4 February 2010 - Co-sponsored by CMS, ASCOBANS, WWF and the Loro Parque Foundation, an update and expansion of the "Review of Small Cetaceans" has been launched online today on the website of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (UNEP/CMS). This encyclopaedia on all 72 species of toothed whales includes the most recent scientific findings on the distribution, migration, behaviour and threats to this group of whales. Maps showing the currently known distribution of each species were provided by IUCN and the Global Mammal Assessment.
A corresponding poster available online shows for the first time all toothed whale species sorted according to their conservation status as defined by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ™.
Press release -English- -German-
See the Encyclopaedia and the Poster. The poster can be ordered from the Secretariat.

21-23 April 2010: 17th Meeting of the Advisory Committee, Cornwall, United Kingdom

14 January 2010 - The ASCOBANS Secretariat gratefully accepted the kind offer of the United Kingdom government to host the 17th Meeting of the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee (AC) in Cornwall at the 'Eden Project' Conference Centre. More information on the venue, transport and accommodation will be posted shortly.
The AC's role is to provide advice and information to the Secretariat and the Parties between the sessions of the decision-making body of the Agreement, the Meeting of Parties (MOP), thereby facilitating the implementation of the Agreement. Observers are usually welcome to attend these meetings. Those interested are required to inform the Secretariat in writing of their intention to participate no later than 20 February 2010 to allow Parties time to decide on their admission. Please refer to the official invitation letter for details.
For any questions, please contact the ASCOBANS Secretariat.

23-24 February 2010: 6th Meeting of the Jastarnia Group, Hel Marine Station, Poland

14 January 2010 - The ASCOBANS Jastarnia Working Group was established to take forward the implementation of the Recovery Plan for the Baltic Harbour Porpoise (also called Jastarnia Plan) will meet for the sixth time on 23 and 24 February 2010. At the kind invitation of Poland, the participating experts from the environment and fisheries sectors from around the Baltic Sea, will meet at the Hel Marine Station near Gdansk.
A revised version of the Jastarnia Plan was adopted by the Parties to ASCOBANS at their 6th Meeting of Parties in September 2009. Originally finalised in 2002, the Jastarnia Plan was developed in reaction to the critical conservation status of the only cetacean species native to the Baltic Sea, which despite strict protection on all political levels still experiences higher human-induced mortality than the small population can sustain.
Participants are requested to register by 12 February 2010. More information can be requested from the ASCOBANS Secretariat.

Welcome to Borja Heredia as ASCOBANS Senior Advisor
Bonn, 12 January 2010 - Borja Heredia has entered on duty as the new Scientific and Technical Officer at the CMS Secretariat. He will also serve as the ASCOBANS Senior Advisor, replacing Marco Barbieri in this function. Borja is well known to many in CMS circles as he has been Spain's representative on the Scientific Council, and has participated in several CMS COPs and MOU meetings, as well as being involved in other MEAs such as CBD and CITES.
Borja is a biologist with a PhD in Ecology from the University of Madrid. Since 1986 he has worked at the Spanish Ministry of Environment focussing on the conservation of threatened species, planning research, drawing up strategies and organising projects in the field. He has been involved in the conservation of several CMS Appendix I species including the Spanish Imperial Eagle, the White-headed Duck and the Mediterranean Monk Seal. The recovery of the Iberian Lynx has also been one of his main occupations in recent years. He also has experience of conflict resolution among different interest groups and has addressed many other factors affecting migratory species such as electrocution and invasive alien species.
From 1992 to 1995 he worked for BirdLife International in Cambridge, developing action plans for globally threatened birds of prey in Europe.
In relation to the marine environment, Borja has been involved in the designation of a marine protected area in the Bay of Biscay, the so called Le Danois Bank, a submarine mountain extremely rich in biodiversity. He has also been instrumental in the approval of an ad-hoc regulation for the protection of cetaceans in Spain. He has also been responsible of a project to cooperate with the Ministry of Defence in order to prevent damage to marine mammals due to the use of sonar for military purposes.

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