Year of the Dolphin 2007

The United Nations name 2007 the Year of the Dolphin

The threats to dolphins increasing; they face entanglement in fishing nets, marine pollution, prey depletion due to overfishing, deliberate hunting and disturbance from noise.
To help end these threats and protect dolphins for the future, the United Nations Environment Programme and Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) along with ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic Area ) and ASCOBANS (Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas) have decided to launch the Year of the Dolphin in 2007. This campaign will involve Governments, NGOs and the private sector around the world to emphasize the need to protect dolphin species.

The Year of the Dolphin was launched at a public event on Larvotto´s beach in Monaco on 17 September 2006. Together with professional divers and the Executive Secretary of the Monaco-based ACCOBAMS, Prince Albert will submerge the statue of a dolphin in the Larvotto Reserve to mark the 10th Anniversary of the agreement and its achievements made during the last decade. The statue is a tribute to the memory of Prince Rainier III. Representatives of the Convention on Migratory Species and other UN officials and of Monegasque institutions will attend the event.

“The Year of the Dolphin gives me the opportunity to renew my firm commitment towards protecting marine biodiversity. With this strong initiative we can make a difference to save these fascinating marine mammals from the brink of extinction”, said Prince Albert, the patron of the campaign.

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