A new publication in the CMS Technical Series (No. 43 Guidelines for the safe and humane handling and release of bycaught small cetaceans from fishing gear, available in English only) is now available.

These guidelines are intended to provide fisheries managers at any level, as well as those who work with fisheries to improve their sustainability, with best practice methodology on the safe and humane handling and release of small cetaceans accidentally bycaught in fishing gear.

The objective of the consultation is to draw up a draft assessment of the current Management Plan (2016-2022) as of 1^st January 2021 and to draw up a detailed draft of a new Management Plan (2022-2028), in line with the objectives of the Agreement, the priority activities, the state of the art and the evolution of the anthropic pressures present in the Pelagos Sanctuary.

The new Pelagos Agreement Management Plan will be drafted on the basis of a participatory process, whereby the Consultant will rely on the necessary documentation made available by the Permanent Secretariat of the Pelagos Agreement, and will furthermore rely on the indications and proposals for modification formulated by the Parties to the Agreement, as well as on the possible consultation of relevant stakeholders and bodies identified by the Agreement Authorities and whose opinion may be sought by the Consultant himself.

Pelagos: publication call for consultation for the drafting of the Agreement Management Plan (2022-2028) French version ___ Italian version