ACCOBAMS
Encyclopedia
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
,
Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and contiguous Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
area is ‘a cooperative tool for the conservation of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean and Black Seas’.
ACCOBAMS aims to reduce threats to cetaceans in Mediterranean and Black Sea waters and improve our knowledge of these animals, and is the first Agreement binding the countries in the two subregions, enabling them to work together on a matter of general interest. ACCOBAMS was concluded in the auspices of Convention on Migratory Species in 1996 and entered into force in 2001.
Meeting of the Parties
The Meeting of the Parties is the decision-making body of the Agreement. Ordinary sessions of the Meeting of the Parties occur at intervals of not more than three years, unless the Meeting of the Parties decides otherwise.The United Nations, its Specialized Agencies, the International Atomic Energy Agency, any State not a Party to this Agreement, secretariats of other global and regional conventions or agreements concerned inter alia with the conservation of cetaceans, and regional or subregional fisheries management organizations with competence for species found temporarily or permanently resident in the Agreement area may be represented by observers in sessions of the Meeting of the Parties. .
Secretariat
The ACCOBAMS Permanent Secretariat performs the functions listed in Article IV of the Agreement. For example, it arranges and services the sessions of the Meeting of the Parties, facilitates co-operation between Parties and non-Party Range States, assists the Parties in the implementation of the Agreement, administers the budget. The Permanent Secretariat is hosted by the Principality of Monaco.Bureau
Bureau provides general policy guidance and operational and financial direction to the Agreement Secretariat and the Co-ordination Units concerning the implementation and promotion of the Agreement;carries out, between sessions of the Meeting of the Parties, such interim activities on its behalf as may be necessary or assigned to it by the Meeting of the Parties;
represents the Parties vis-à-vis the Government(s) of the host country (or countries) of the Agreement Secretariat and the Meeting of the Parties, the Depositary and other international organizations on matters relating to the Agreement and its secretariat.
The Bureau normally meets once per annum and provides a report on its activities for each session of the Meeting of the Parties.
Scientific Committee
The Scientific Committee of ACCOBAMS, composed of persons qualified as experts in cetacean conservation science, is an advisory body to the Meeting of the Parties. Its role and tasks are defined in the Article VII of the Agreement. The Scientific Committee usually meets every year. The meetings of the Committee provide an opportunity for the gathering of an increasingly large number of cetacean conservation experts from the Agreement area.Agreement Area
According to the Agreement Text, "The geographic scope of the Agreement, hereinafter referred to as the "Agreement area", is constituted by all the maritime waters of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean and their gulfs and seas, and the internal waters connected to or interconnecting these maritime waters, and of the Atlantic area contiguous to the Mediterranean Sea west of the Straits of Gibraltar.For the purpose of the Agreement:
the Black Sea is bounded to the southwest by the line joining Capes Kelaga and Dalyan (Turkey);
the Mediterranean Sea is bounded to the east by the southern limits of the Straits of the Dardanelles between the lighthouses of Mehmetcik and Kumkale (Turkey) and to the west by the meridian passing through Cape Spartel lighthouse, at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar;
the contiguous Atlantic area west of the Strait of Gibraltar is bounded to the east by the meridian passing through Cape Spartel lighthouse and to the west by the line joining the lighthouses of Cape St. Vicente (Portugal) and Casablanca (Morocco).
Member States
Currently 21 countries, out of 28 Range States, are Parties to ACCOBAMS. List of Parties (as of 18 August 2008) with a date of accession is presented below.(1. October 2001) (1. December 2007) (1. June 2001) (1. June 2001) (1. May 2006) (1. June 2004) (1. June 2001) (1. June 2001) (1. September 2005) (1. March 2005) (1. September 2002) (1. June 2001) (1. June 2001) (1. June 2001) (1. January 2005) (1. June 2001) (1. December 2006) (1. June 2001) (1. June 2002) (1. January 2002) (1. January 2004)
Partners
ACCOBAMS Partners include Organisations and Institutions technically qualified in Cetacean Conservation playing a significant role in the relevant activities of the Agreement. The year when the partnership started is shown in the brakets.- Alnitak Marine Environment Research and Education centre (2007)
- American Society of International LawAmerican Society of International LawThe American Society of International Law is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, educational membership organization, based in Washington, D.C.. It was founded in 1906, and was chartered by the United States Congress in 1950...
– International Environmental Law Group (2002) - The Biological Conservation Research Foundation (BICREF) (2006)
- Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation (2004)
- Brema Laboratory (2002)
- Conservación, Información e Investigación en Cetáceos (CIRCE) (2004)
- Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE) (2003)
- European Cetacean Society (ECS) (2002)
- Groupe de Recherche sur les Cétacés (GREC) (2005)
- Israeli Marine Mammal Research and Assistance CenterIsraeli Marine Mammal Research and Assistance CenterThe Israel Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center is an Israeli non-profit organization dedicated to the study and conservation of cetacean populations that inhabit the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf of Aqaba/Eilat....
(IMMRAC) (2004) - International Fund for Animal Welfare (2004)
- Istituto Centrale per la Ricerca Applicata al Mare (ICRAM) (2002)
- Morigenos – Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Society (2005)
- National Institute for Marine Research and Development „Grigore Antipa“ (2002)
- Nature Trust (Malta) (2005)
- OceanCare (2003)
- Oceana (2007)
- Oceanographic Museum of Monaco (2002)
- Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute (2002)
- Souffleurs d'Ecume (2007)
- Spanish Cetacean Society (SEC) (2003)
- Swiss Cetacean Society (SCS) (2002)
- Syrian Society for the Conservation of Wildlife (SSCW) (2007)
- Tethys Research Institute (2002)
- University of Genoa – Biology Department (2005)
- University of MaltaUniversity of MaltaThe University of Malta is the highest educational institution in Malta Europe and is one of the most respected universities in Europe. The University offers undergraduate Bachelor's Degrees, postgraduate Master's Degrees and postgraduate Doctorates .-History:The University of Malta was founded in...
– Conservation Biology Research Group (2005) - University of Valencia (2002)
- Whale and Dolphin Conservation SocietyWhale and Dolphin Conservation Societythe Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society is a wildlife charity that is dedicated solely to the worldwide conservation and welfare of all whales, dolphins and porpoises...
(WDCS) (2004) - World Conservation Union (IUCN) (2004)
- WWFWorld Wide Fund for NatureThe World Wide Fund for Nature is an international non-governmental organization working on issues regarding the conservation, research and restoration of the environment, formerly named the World Wildlife Fund, which remains its official name in Canada and the United States...
Mediterranean Programme Office (2007)
Protected species
The following species are protected by ACCOBAMS, according to the Annex I of the Treaty :INDICATIVE LIST OF CETACEANS OF THE BLACK SEA TO WHICH THIS AGREEMENT APPLIES:
- PHOCOENIDAE (PorpoisePorpoisePorpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen...
)- Phocoena phocoena (Harbour porpoiseHarbour PorpoiseThe harbour porpoise is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest marine mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers. This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen...
)
- Phocoena phocoena (Harbour porpoise
- DELPHINIDAE (DolphinDolphinDolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
)- Tursiops truncates(Bottlenose dolphinBottlenose DolphinBottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Recent molecular studies show the genus contains two species, the common bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin , instead of one...
) - Delphinus delphis (Common dolphinCommon dolphinThe common dolphin is the name given to two species of dolphin making up the genus Delphinus.Prior to the mid-1990s, most taxonomists only recognised one species in this genus, the common dolphin Delphinus delphis...
)
- Tursiops truncates(Bottlenose dolphin
INDICATIVE LIST OF CETACEANS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA AND THE CONTIGUOUS ATLANTIC AREA TO WHICH THIS AGREEMENT APPLIES:
- PHOCOENIDAE (PorpoisePorpoisePorpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen...
)- Phocoena phocoena(Harbour porpoiseHarbour PorpoiseThe harbour porpoise is one of six species of porpoise. It is one of the smallest marine mammals. As its name implies, it stays close to coastal areas or river estuaries, and as such, is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers. This porpoise often ventures up rivers, and has been seen...
)
- Phocoena phocoena(Harbour porpoise
- DELPHINIDAE (DolphinDolphinDolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
)- Steno bredanensis(Rough-toothed dolphinRough-toothed DolphinThe Rough-toothed dolphin is species of dolphin that can be found in deep warm and tropical waters around the world.The species was first described by Georges Cuvier in 1823...
) - Grampus griseus (Risso's dolphinRisso's DolphinRisso's dolphin is the only species of dolphin in the genus Grampus.-Taxonomy:Risso's dolphin is named after Antoine Risso, whose description formed the basis of the first public description of the animal, by Georges Cuvier, in 1812...
) - Tursiops truncatus (Bottlenose dolphinBottlenose DolphinBottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Recent molecular studies show the genus contains two species, the common bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin , instead of one...
) - Stenella coeruleoalba(Striped dolphinStriped DolphinThe Striped Dolphin is an extensively studied dolphin that is found in temperate and tropical waters of all the world's oceans.-Taxonomy:...
) - Delphinus delphis (Short-beaked common dolphinShort-beaked Common DolphinThe short-beaked common dolphin is a species of common dolphin. It has a larger range than the long-beaked common dolphin , occurring throughout warm-temperate and tropical oceans, with the possible exception of the Indian Ocean...
) - Pseudorca crassidens(False killer whaleFalse Killer WhaleThe False Killer Whale is a cetacean, and the third largest member of the oceanic dolphin family . It lives in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world. As its name implies, the False Killer Whale shares characteristics, such as appearance, with the more widely known Orca...
) - Orcinus orca (Killer whale)
- Globicephala melas (Long-finned pilot whaleLong-finned Pilot WhaleThe long-finned pilot whale is one of the two species of cetacean in the genus Globicephala. It belongs to the oceanic dolphin family , though its behavior is closer to that of the larger whales.-Description:...
)
- Steno bredanensis(Rough-toothed dolphin
- ZIPHIIDAE (Beaked whaleBeaked whaleBeaked whales are 21 species of toothed whales, members of the family Ziphiidae, are notable for their elongated beaks. Beaked whales are one of the world's most extreme divers. They can dive for long periods—20 to 30 minutes is common, and 85 minute dives have been recorded—and to...
)- Mesoplodon densirostris (Blainville's beaked whaleBlainville's Beaked WhaleBlainville's beaked whale , or the dense-beaked whale, is the widest ranging mesoplodont whale and perhaps the most documented. Henri de Blainville first described the species in 1817 from a small piece of jaw—the heaviest bone he had ever come across—which resulted in the name densirostris...
) - Ziphius cavirostris (Cuvier's beaked whaleCuvier's Beaked WhaleCuvier's beaked whale is the most widely distributed of all the beaked whales. It is the only member of the genus Ziphius. Another common name for the species is goose-beaked whale because its head is said to be shaped like the beak of a goose. Georges Cuvier first described it in 1823 from part...
)
- Mesoplodon densirostris (Blainville's beaked whale
- PHYSETERIDAE
- Physeter macrocephalus (Sperm whaleSperm WhaleThe sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
)
- Physeter macrocephalus (Sperm whale
- KOGIIDAE
- Kogia simus (Dwarf sperm whaleDwarf Sperm WhaleThe Dwarf Sperm Whale is one of three species in the sperm whale family. They are not often sighted at sea. As such, most information is a result of the study of stranded carcasses.-Taxonomy:...
)
- Kogia simus (Dwarf sperm whale
- BALAENIDAE (BalaenidaeBalaenidaeBalaenidae is a family of mysticete whales that contains two living genera. Commonly called the right whales as it contains mainly right whale species...
)- Eubalaena glacialis (Northern right whaleNorth Atlantic Right WhaleThe North Atlantic right whale which means "good, or true, whale of the ice") is a baleen whale, one of three right whale species belonging to the genus Eubalaena, formerly classified as a single species. With only 400 in existence, North Atlantic right whales are among the most endangered whales...
)
- Eubalaena glacialis (Northern right whale
- BALAENOPTERIDAE (RorqualRorqualRorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, with nine species in two genera. They include the largest animal that has ever lived, the Blue Whale, which can reach , and another that easily reaches ; even the smallest of the group, the Northern Minke Whale, reaches .-Characteristics:Rorquals...
)- Balaenoptera acutorostrata(Minke whaleMinke WhaleMinke whale , or lesser rorqual, is a name given to two species of marine mammal belonging to a clade within the suborder of baleen whales. The minke whale was given its official designation by Lacepède in 1804, who described a dwarf form of Balænoptera acuto-rostrata...
) - Balaenoptera borealis(Sei whaleSei WhaleThe sei whale , Balaenoptera borealis, is a baleen whale, the third-largest rorqual after the blue whale and the fin whale. It inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep offshore waters. It avoids polar and tropical waters and semi-enclosed bodies of water...
) - Balaenoptera physalus (Fin whaleFin WhaleThe fin whale , also called the finback whale, razorback, or common rorqual, is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. It is the second longest whale and the sixth largest living animal after the blue whale, bowhead whale, and right whales, growing to nearly 27 metres long...
) - Megaptera novaeangliae (Humpback whaleHumpback WhaleThe humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the...
)
- Balaenoptera acutorostrata(Minke whale
See also
- List of environmental agreements
- ASCOBANSASCOBANSASCOBANS is a regional agreement on the protection of small cetaceans that was concluded as the “Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas” under the auspices of the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species, or Bonn Convention, in September 1991 and came into force...
- Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)
- Marine Protected AreaMarine Protected AreaMarine Protected Areas, like any protected area, are regions in which human activity has been placed under some restrictions in the interest of conserving the natural environment, it's surrounding waters and the occupant ecosystems, and any cultural or historical resources that may require...