The Department of Fisheries and Marine Research represented the Republic of Cyprus at the 8th Conference on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean and the Contiguous Atlantic Region (ACCOBAMS), held in Saint Julian's, Malta, from 29 November to 2 December 2022.
The focus of the meeting was the election of a new Bureau for the period 2023 to 2025, consisting of Malta (Presidency), Bulgaria, Lebanon, Montenegro and Portugal.
Under the Agreement on the Conservation of Black Sea, Mediterranean and Contiguous Atlantic Cetaceans, an ambitious work programme will be implemented for the next 3 years. It aims to strengthen actions to address the many threats to cetaceans, such as underwater noise, by-catch of cetaceans in fishing gear, collisions with vessels and cetacean strandings.
At the meeting, it was emphasized that long-term cetacean monitoring campaigns on a regional scale are a priority for ACCOBAMS, building on the unprecedented international dolphin and whale monitoring campaign in the ACCOBAMS region (ACCOBAMS SURVEY INITIATIVE - ASI).
The ACCOBAMS Parties have adopted a communication strategy as a central information and awareness-raising tool to disseminate knowledge and encourage actions to protect cetaceans.
(ΔΚ/ΝΓ/IK)
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