ALT 📷© Rob Lott

ALT The 29th Meeting of the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee took place last week - thank you to the 69 participants who joined the sessions in the course of three days! The agreed action points, recommendations and decisions are available on the AC29 page here: https://www.ascobans.org/en/document/action-points-and-recommendations-29th-meeting-ascobans-advisory-committee The AC29 report will be available on the ASCOBANS website in due course: https://www.ascobans.org/en/meeting/ac29 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲! The next meeting of the Advisory Committee (AC30) is tentatively scheduled for 1-3 September 2026. The venue will be announced later. 📷: ©️ ASCOBANS Secretariat

ALT 'Animal culture' discussed at the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee meeting this morning 🐬🐋🐳 Defined as 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳 - 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 - 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, there is evidence of animal culture in many dolphins and whales. ➡️ Learn more: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/2025/380/1925 🔗 Check out the meeting outcomes later in: https://www.ascobans.org/en/meeting/ac29

ALT AC29 is now underway! 🎉 From 16–18 September, the Advisory Committee is meeting online. One of its tasks is to review reports on pressures and threats to small cetaceans, as outlined in UNEP/ASCOBANS Resolution 10.1 on National Reporting. Stay tuned for updates on key outcomes! The adopted Action Points and Recommendations will be posted on the ASCOBANS website after the meeting. Learn more: https://www.ascobans.org/en/meeting/ac29

ALT 🌊 Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) will be a key topic at AC29 next week. MSP must be based on a functional understanding of marine ecosystems and ensure that all human activities are compatible with maintaining healthy, biodiverse seas. Cetacean-sensitive MSP is vital to achieving and maintaining their Favorable Conservation Status. This means: – Clear long-term strategies aligned with conservation goals – Strong spatial and temporal coordination – Flexibility to adapt to ecosystem and knowledge changes – Step-by-step implementation with regular evaluation – Rigorous use of the mitigation hierarchy (avoid, minimize, remediate, offset) – Thorough environmental impact assessments at both plan and project levels Learn more in the ASCOBANS resolution on MSP 👉 https://www.ascobans.org/en/document/maritime-spatial-planning AC29 🔗 https://www.ascobans.org/en/meeting/ac29

ALT 🔊 Impulsive noise is intense, short pulses of very loud sound, repeated over a period of time. This type of underwater noise pollution often occurs from pile-driving for offshore construction (featured here in the graphic), seismic surveys, and explosions triggered to dispose of underwater munitions. 🆘 Impulsive noise can cause direct injuries to cetaceans, ranging from bruising to organ rupture and death. It can also cause hearing damage –permanent or temporary– directly impacting their ability to survive. This topic will be a key agenda point at the upcoming 29th Meeting of the ASCOBANS Advisory Committee (AC29) 🔗 https://www.ascobans.org/en/meeting/ac29

ALT Continuous underwater noise - such as from shipping - puts pressure on small cetaceans. https://www.ascobans.org/en/meeting/ac29

ALT 📷: Nicola Hodgins / WDC