OSPAR request on indicator assessment of cetacean species other than coastal bottlenose dolphins

An overview of data on distribution and abundance of cetacean species other than coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) is presented. ICES advises that for none of these species is there currently sufficient information to make regional assessments in the frame of indicator M-4. However, new information scheduled to become available in early 2017 from a 2016 survey may allow an assessment to be made for harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena, particularly in OSPAR Region II) against the proposed targets.