31st Meeting of the Council 19 – 21 March 2024, Reykjavík, Iceland
NAMMCO is proud to announce the upcoming 31st Meeting of the Council, which will take place in Reykjavík, Iceland, on 19 – 21 March 2024. The meeting will address the challenges and opportunities facing marine mammal conservation and management in the North Atlantic region, today and in the future.
The opening of the 31st Meeting of the Council will feature a dedicated session addressing animal welfare issues associated with marine mammal hunting. This session will include perspectives from both the animal welfare and legal standpoints.
During the meeting, there will be discussions on two noteworthy international projects: the MINTAG project and NASS-2024. The MINTAG project started in 2023 and had the first test deployments in the summer of 2023. The main objective of the MINTAG project is to develop and deploy long-term satellite tags targeting certain whale species (i.e., fin, minke and pilot whales) to enable the collection of crucial information regarding their movements and stock structure. Additionally, the NASS-2024 survey, a continuation of the 30-year series of North Atlantic cetacean sightings surveys, aims to compile comprehensive data on the abundance and trends of cetaceans in the North Atlantic region. Such information is necessary for effectively managing stocks in the face of rapid environmental changes.
The meeting will be attended by representatives from the member governments of the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and, Norway as well as observers from Canada, Denmark, Japan, and the USA. Additionally, representatives from Makivvik Corporation (Québec) and several international organisations, including the International Whaling Commission (IWC), Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) and the World Conservation Trust (IWMC) will be represented at the meeting.
The agenda, list of participants, and documents for the Council meeting can be here.
The opening session is open to the public:
Venue: Hotel Reykjavík Grand, Sigtún 28, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland
Date and time: 19 March 2024, from 9:00 to 12:00 (Icelandic time). Registration for in-person participants from 8:30 to 8:50 (Icelandic time) on 19 March.
Link to join the opening session: Click here to join the opening session online