CCAHD on the international stage!

CCAHD on the international stage!

April, 2026 was an incredibly busy month for the CCAHD and its partners, with work on Atlantic humpback dolphins (AHD) featured at three major international events.  The first event was the European Cetacean Society annual conference in Dundee, Scotland (April 22-24), where this poster was presented, providing a range-wide update on the distribution and status of AHD. Compiled by 37 co-authors from 17 of the 19 possible AHD range countries, the poster provides a concise update on sightings, strandings, and the results of interview surveys with fishers.   CCAHD partner, Elizabeth Agyekumwaa from Ghana also presented this poster on “Prey preferences of cetaceans as a plausible driver of their susceptibility to exploitation”.   The meeting also provided opportunities for CCAHD partners to discuss ongoing projects, including collaboration with the University of St. on the development of a passive acoustic ‘classifier’ to allow AI to detect cetacean vocalisations from recordings, and identify them correctly to species level.

Next up was the meeting of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee in Bled, Slovenia.  Several CCAHD partners attended, and AHD were the focus of discussions in both the Small Cetacean subcommittee and the Non-deliberate Human Induced Mortality subcommittee.  Gianna Minton presented the full text version of the range-wide update on AHD distribution and conservation status as well as a summary of the CCAHD 2025 Annual Report.  Judicael Regis Kema Kema presented two papers on elements of his PhD focusing on habitat suitability modelling based on direct observations as well as fisheries interviews.  Dr. Ellen Hines also presented the results of the two Bycatch Risk Assessment training workshops that took place in Cameroon in December 2024 and Congo in January 2026. IWC Scientific Committee participants congratulated the CCAHD on their collaborative progress towards addressing knowledge gaps and supporting capacity building for range-country scientists, and recommended continuation of this valuable work. The full IWC SC report is can be download here.

 

In parallel to the IWC meeting, several CCAHD partners attended the annual forum of the West African Regional Marine and Coastal Partnership (Partenariat Régional pour la Conservation de la zone côtière et Marine en Afrique de l’Ouest  –PRCM). The meeting took place in Nouakchott, Mauritania from April 27-30th. Funding from a generous anonymous donor allowed the CCAHD to support the participation of four partners from Benin, Cameroon, Senegal and Mauritania.  The CCAHD team co-hosted a booth with the African Marine Conservation Organisation (AMCO), and organised a side event titled ‘Regional Collaboration for Critically Endangered Atlantic Humpback Dolphins: Implementing the CMS Single Species Action Plan’.  The event attracted several important potential partners, including Wetlands International, and CCAHD partners engaged in fruitful discussions about how to expand and improve AHD conservation in the region.  Read more about the event here.

Shortly following the event, the CCAHD was formally accepted as a PRCM member organisation, a status which should enhance our partnerships in West Arica and offer new opportunities for collaboration and funding.  Watch this space!