Portugal, Spain and France start a project for a coordinated strategy for assessing, monitoring and mitigating impacts on cetaceans

The main objective of the CetAMBICion project is the urgent need to reduce the incidental by-catch of cetaceans in fisheries in the European Union

The project involves 15 partners from public administrations and public research and conservation organizations, in collaboration with the fisheries sector and Non-Governmental Environmental Organizations (NGOs)

Over two years, it will update scientific knowledge on the distribution and abundance of cetaceans, the impact of fishing activity, and evaluate the effectiveness of the mitigation measures implemented in the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast, in order to achieve good environmental status in the scope of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).

Portugal participates in the project through the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), the General Directorate for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services (DGRM), the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF), the The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere,  (IPMA), and the University of Algarve (UAlg).

DGRM, as competent authority for coordinating the implementatio of MSFD at national level, is leader of Workpackage 1 - Review of MSFD second cycle reports and state-of the-art for cetaceans and and co-leader of Workpackage 2 - Proposal of coordinated subregional assessment, GES determination and monitoring strategy for cetaceans.