The ad hoc Narwhals in East Greenland Working Group (NEGWG) will meet the days 12-15 of December, at the Greenland Representation in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Working Group will update stock assessments for narwhal,  as well as beluga populations in East Greenland. The meeting will be chaired by Rod Hobbs (Alaska Fisheries Science Center).

The NAMMCO Ringed Seal Working Group (RSWG) will meet online the 16th of November chaired by Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid (Greenland Institute of Natural Resources & Chair of the NAMMCO Scientific Committee).

Ringed seal experts from Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Norway are invited to participate and discuss current knowledge and recommendations for research, conservation and management of ringed seals in the NAMMCO management areas.

The members of the NASS-2024 Scientific Planning Committee (SpC) will meet in Copenhagen on November 2–3 2023 to finalise the design of the NASS cetacean surveys to be conducted in 2024. External experts Phil Hammond (UK) and Daniel Pike (Canada) will also participate in the meeting.

The NAMMCO Scientific Committee Dolphin Working Group (DWG) will meet from the 30th of October to the 2nd of November, at the Greenland Representation in Copenhagen (Denmark).

The working group will conduct, for the first time, an assessment of Lagenorhynchus (white beaked and white sided) dolphins in NAMMCO management areas. The meeting will be chaired by Philip Hammond (Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews).

Meeting documents can be found here.

The NAMMCO Scientific Committee Dolphin Working Group (DWG) will meet from the 30th of October to the 2nd of November, at the Greenland Representation in Copenhagen (Denmark).

The working group will conduct, for the first time, an assessment of Lagenorhynchus (white beaked and white sided) dolphins in NAMMCO management areas. The meeting will be chaired by Philip Hammond (Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews).

Meeting documents can be found here.

The NAMMCO By-Catch Working Group (BYCWG) will meet online the 28th of September to formulate a data call to be sent to the fisheries departments of NAMMCO member countries, with the aim to use the data for mapping marine mammal by-catch risk in the NAMMCO waters. Meeting documents can be found here.

Online meeting of the Scientific Planning Committe (SpC) of NASS-2024.

Participants will provide new information and updates on the planning of the surveys in the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, with the aim to help finalising survey design.

The 1st meeting of the Working Group on enhancing User Involvement in NAMMCO Decision Making (UIWG) will be held online 22 June.

Teams meeting

Jón Steffansson (IS), Chair

Rikke Guldborg-Hansen, Chair

Teams meeting

A hybrid meeting will be held at ICES Headquarters, Copenhagen, on 22-26 May 2023 for a Benchmark Workshop aimed at evaluating the appropriateness of data and methods to determine stock status and investigate methods for providing harvest advice for Harp and Hooded seal stocks in the Greenland sea and Barents-White sea.

The Committee on Hunting Methods will meet online 14 March 2023 under the chairmanship of  Kathrine A. Ryeng (NO).

Agenda and meeting documents will be available soon.

The Management Committees on Cetaceans (MCC),  Seals and Walrus (MCSW) and a Joint meeting of the Management Committees (MCJ) will meet online the days 1-2 March.

Meeting documents can be found here.

The 29th Meeting of the NAMMCO Scientific Committee took place, in person, at the Greenlandic Representation in Copenhagen (Denmark) the 23-26 of January 2023.

The Report of this meeting can be found here.

The Heads of Delegations will meet in Copenhagen 10 and 11 January 2023. The meeting will be chaired by Petter Meier (NO).

The NAMMCO-JCNB Joint Working Group (JWG) on narwhal and beluga met the days 12-16th of December of 2022 in Copenhagen (Denmark). The JWG held a workshop to assess the anthropogenic impacts on marine mammals of mining activities in Canada and Greenland. The workshop was co-chaired by Cortney Watt (JCNB) and Roderick Hobbs (NAMMCO).

The Report of this Workshop can be found here.

The NASS-2024 Scientific Planning Committee will meet online on November 24th to establish a timeline for NASS 2024, discuss the planning/organization of the surveys and schedule future meetings.

NAMMCO’s Bearded and Ringed seal specialists will hold a 3-hrs meeting on November 16, 2022, from 14:00 to 17:00 CET time to discuss data availability, needs and prioritization for conducting a review/assessment of Bearded and Ringed seals in the NAMMCO area, also discussing, in the case of Ringed seals, relevant progress brought by the 2022 US NOAA regular review in the framework of the Endangered Species Act as well as the 2019 Canadian Review.

The Harbour Porpoise Working Group (HPWG) met the days 7-10th of November 2022 in Oslo (Norway) to conduct an assessment of the Harbour porpoise population in Norway and to review the data available for an assessemnt of pilot whales and Lagenorhynchus dolphins in 2023. The meeting was chaired by Bjarni Mikkelsen (FO).

The Report of this meeting can be found here.

The MINTAG Steering Group and Wildlife Computers Inc. will meet at the Greenland Representation in Copenhagen (Denmark) the 25-26 October 2022. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss technical issues around the design and testing of the new satellite transmitters for minke and fin whales. It is a ‘hands-on’ meeting where it will be possible to look at different designs of the transmitter system, and participants are encouraged to bring their own devices for ‘show-and-tell’. At the end of the meeting conclusions needs to be reached for the generation of tags in the MINTAG project.

NAMMCO is organising the international conference and gastronomic showcase “Marine Mammals: A Sustainable Food Resource“, highlighting the use and importance of marine mammals as a food resource.

For more information on the event, visit the Conference & Showcase page.

The 29th Annual meetings of NAMMCO, both the Council and the Management Committees, will be held in Oslo, Norway from 12 – 15 September.

The Council will by chaired by Ole-David Stenseth (NO), the Management Committees will  be chaired by the Faroe Islands (MCC) and Greenland (MCSW), and the Finance and Administration Committee will be chaired by Ásta Einarsdóttir (IS).

Metting documents can be found here.

The meeting of the NAMMCO By-catch Working Group took place online on 25 May 2022, with Kimberly Murray (NOAA, USA) serving as Chair.

The meeting documents were available here.

The Report of this meeting can be found here.

The Finance and Administration Committee will hold a meeting in Copenhagen at the Greenland Representation, chaired by Ásta Einarsdóttir (IS).

The Heads of Delegations meeting will be chaired by the Chair of NAMMCO, Ole-David Stenseth (NO).

The Committee on Hunting Methods will meet in Copenhagen, at the Greenland Representation,  19 & 20 May under the chairmanship of  Kathrine A. Ryeng (NO).

The Committee will meet jointly with CIO and BYCELS for parts of the agenda.

Agenda and meeting documents can be found here.

The Council Working Group on By-catch, Entanglements and Live Strandings will meet in Copenhagen, at the Greenland Representation, under the chairmamship of Ulla S. Wang (FO) on 19 May.  Part of the meeting is a joint session with CIO and CHM.  Agenda and meeting documents can be found  here.

The Committee on Inspection and Observation (CIO) will meet at the Greenland Representation in Copenhagen 19 May under the chairmanship of Hild Ynnesdal (NO).

The CIO meets jointly with CHM and BYCELS for parts of the agenda. Agenda and meeting documents can be found here.

The group will meet on Teams 16  May under the charimanship of Páll Nolsøe (FO).

The 4th Marine Mammal Student Symposium will take place on 7 April as a hybrid event – both in Tromsø and online. The symposium is coorganised with the Norwegian Center for the Law of the Sea and the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology.

Read more here 

The 29th Annual meetings of NAMMCO, both the Council and the Management Committees, have been postponed to 13 – 15 September.

The Council will by chaired by Ole-David Stenseth (NO), the Management Committees will  be chaired by the Faroe Islands (MCC) and Greenland (MCSW), and the Finance and Administration Committee will be chaired by Ásta Einarsdóttir (IS).

More information to come in due time.

The group will meet on Teams 23 March under the charimanship of Páll Nolsøe (FO).

The annual information meeting of the NAMMCO Observer Corps will be held online on 15 March under the auspices of the Committee on Inspection and Observation.

The Committee on Hunting Methods will meet online 22 February under the chairmanship of  Kathrine A. Ryeng (NO).  Agenda and meeting documents can be found here.

The Committee on Inspection and Observation (CIO) will meet online 10 February under the chairmanship of Hild Ynnesdal (NO).

The agenda and meeting documents can be found here.

The group will meet on Teams 7 February under the charimanship of Páll Nolsøe (FO).

On January 24-28 2022, the NAMMCO Scientific Committee will hold its 28th annual meeting. The meeting will be hosted by Greenland.

The Resource group will meet online under the chairmanship of Páll Nolsøe (FO) on 13 December 2021.

The next meeting of the NAMMCO-JCNB Joint Working Group (JWG) on narwhal and beluga will take place in Winnipeg, 13-17 December, under the leadership of Co-Chairs Cortney Watt (JCNB) and Roderick Hobbs (NAMMCO).

The NAMMCO Ad hoc Working Group on Narwhal in East Greenland will hold its 2nd meeting at the Greenland Representation in Copenhagen 25-29 October 2021. The meeting will be open to members of the NAMMCO Scientific Committee and invited experts.

The meeting documents will be made available here.

The next meeting of the NAMMCO By-catch Working Group will take place online on 15 October 2021, with Kimberly Murray (NOAA, USA) serving as Chair.

Key items on the agenda include reviewing the estimates of harbour porpoise by-catch in Norway for endorsement, as well as finalising estimates of the by-catch of harbour and grey seals in Iceland and Norway, and reviewing any new information available from Greenland and the Faroe Islands, for use in the assessments of these species to be performed by the Coastal Seals Working Group in 2022.

The Committee on Hunting Methods will meet online 28 September under the chairmanship of  Kathrine A. Ryeng (NO).  Agenda and meeting documents can be found here.

The Committee on Inspection and Observation (CIO) will hold an online meeting under the chairmanship of Hild Ynnesdal (NO).

The agenda and meeting documents can be found here.

The Resource Group planning the 2022 Food Event will hold an online meeting under chairmanship of Páll Nolsøe (FO).

The Finance and Administration Committee will hold an online meeting chaired by Ásta Einarsdóttir (IS).

The Finance and Administration Committee will hold an online meeting chaired by Ásta Einarsdóttir (IS).

The Resource Group planning the 2022 Food Event held a meeting under chairmanship of Páll Nolsøe (FO).

The Resource Group planning the 2022 Food Event held a meeting under chairmanship of Páll Nolsøe (FO).

The Finance and Administration Committee held an online meeting chaired by Ásta Einarsdóttir (IS).

Online meeting of the Heads of Deelgations to begin planning of the Food Conference.

The Finance and Administration Committee held an online meeting chaired by Ásta Einarsdóttir (IS).

The 28th Annual meeting of NAMMCO, both the Council and the Management Committees, will be held as virtual meetings 22 -25 March 2021. All days from 13:00 hrs Norwegian time/1 :00 pm CET .

The Council will meet under the chairmanship of Kate Sanderson (FO). The Management Committees will meet under the chairmanship of Guro Gjelsvik (NO). The Finance and Administration Committee will meet under the chairmanship of Amalie Jessen (GL).

More information to come in due time.

The Council Working Group on By-catch, Entanglements and Live Strandings will meet online under the chairmamship of

Guðni Magnús Eiríksson (IS).  Agenda and meeting documents can be found  here.

The Committee on Hunting Methods will meet online 23 and 25 February 2021, both days 13:00 hrs – 16:00 hrs Norwegian time. Kathrine A. Ryeng (NO) will chair the meeting,  Agenda and meeting documents can be found here.

The Committee on Hunting Methods will meet online 23 and 25 February 2021, both days 13:00 hrs – 16:00 hrs Norwegian time. Kathrine A. Ryeng (NO) will chair the meeting,  Agenda and meeting documents can be found here.

The Management Committees for Cetaceans and for Seals and Walruses will hold a joint online meeting chaired by Guro Gjelsvik (NO) Thursday 18 February from 13:00 – 16:00 hrs Norwegian time.

Council 27 established an ad hoc Working Group (PRWG) to review and follow up on the recommendations introduced in the Report of the NAMMCO Performance Review Panel. The PRWG, led by the Chair of Council, Kate Sanderson, has asked the Management Committees (MCs) to respond to the recommendations identified by the PRWG as being of specific relevance to the committees (see attachment).

The Heads of Delegations will meet online from 13:00 to 14:30 hrs Norwegian time.

The Committee on Inspection and Observation (CIO) will hold online meetings 16 and 17 February 2021, from 14:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs on the 16th and 13:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs on the 17th – both days Norwegian time, under the chairmanship of Guðni Magnús Eiríksson (IS).

The agenda and meeting documents can be found here.

The Coastal Seals Working Group will meet under the chairmanship of Kjell Nilssen (NO).  In January 2021, there will be a half day meeting to review updates on the status of grey and harbour seals in NAMMCO member countries and discuss data collection for population modelling on harbour seals. This will be followed up by a 3 day meeting to be held in November/December 2021 to review the status of the stocks and population models. The meeting documents, including the agenda and participant list can be found here.