2020

Developing a cumulative effects framework

New Working Group on Cumulative Effects Assessment in Management request input for case studies.

ICES Science Highlights: Addressing the 6 societal goals of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

With ICES Science Highlights, we showcase the work of our expert groups. In this installment, we take a look at how ICES expert groups can help achieve the societal goals of the UN Decade of Ocean Science.

ICES and the UN Decade of Ocean Science

An interview with the IOC Executive Secretary on how ICES can contribute to the Ocean Decade.

A healthy and resilient ocean where marine ecosystems are mapped and protected

ICES integrated ecosystem assessment network is working towards a healthy and resilient ocean.

A predictable ocean where society has the capacity to understand current and future ocean conditions

ICES working groups on seasonal-to-decadal prediction of marine ecosystem, on impacts of warming on growth rates and fisheries yields, and integrated, physical-biological and ecosystem modelling are all working towards a predicted ocean.

A safe ocean where people are protected from ocean hazards

ICES working groups on marine planning and coastal zone management and on resilience and marine ecosystem services are working towards a safe ocean.

A transparent and accessible ocean with open access to data, information, and technologies

ICES Working Group on Deep-water Ecology contributes to a transparent and accesible ocean.

A sustainably harvested ocean ensuring the provision of food supply

ICES Working Group on Mixed Fisheries is working towards a sustainably harvested and productive ocean.

New publication in ICES TIMES series

TIMES No. 62 provides guidelines on the use of the diffusive gradients in thin films technique for the assessment of metal contamination in sediments.

Explaining the advice

Advice requesters, Advisory Council representatives, and observers gather in Copenhagen.

Call for participants for workshop on model ensembles for stock assessment and advice

This May ICES is organizing a joint workshop together with European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) on model ensembles for stock assessment and advice (WKENSEMBLE).

Bringing it all together

Linking economists and other social scientists to ICES integrated ecosystem assessment network.

Nominations open for ICES Awards 2020

The time has come to nominate your fellow scientists whose contribution to marine science deserves special recognition. Deadline for nominations: 1 May 2020

Aging King Scallops

Call for experts to attend scallop age reading workshop.

Connecting global networks for marine biodiversity

Co-chairs of ICES Working Group on Resilience and Marine Ecosystem Services (WGRMES) recently convened a workshop at the World Biodiversity Forum 2020.

Do you fit the WGBESEO profile?

Members needed for new group that will balance economic, social, and ecological objectives in integrated assessments.

FEATURE ARTICLE - Shellfish: Resources and invaders of the north

Our latest feature explores the dynamics of snow crab in the eastern Bering Sea and US portions of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas under climate change.

COVID19 impacts on ICES advice for 2020

ICES adopts spring 2020 approach to upcoming advice requests.

Our publications in 2019

In 2019, ICES published nine open access peer-reviewed publications, covering a wide range of topics within marine sciences.

ICES science and advice continues

Around the world, organizations are moving to a virtual working environment. And so are we.

Ignoring predation - does it matter for fisheries management?

In fisheries models, little is known about the consequences of ignoring predation. A recent paper by members of our Working Group on Multispecies Assessment Methods looked at the consequences of doing so.

IJMS Editor’s Choice – Aquaculture-driven evolution

The latest selected Editor’s Choice article from ICES Journal of Marine Science is now available. Here, read about a study on the distribution of pyrethroid resistance in the salmon louse throughout the North Atlantic in the years 2000–2017.

The impact of COVID 19 on fishing industries in ICES countries

ICES WGSOCIAL is addressing the likely impact of the ongoing COVID19 pandemic on fishing industries in ICES member countries – it appears impacts differ in each country due to different measures and diversity of fleets.

To remove or not to remove?

Decommissioned offshore man-made installations are the focus of the latest themed set of papers in ICES Journal of Marine Science.

New agreement with DG Environment

Continuing our contribution towards good environmental standards in European waters.

Can behavioural economics improve the effectiveness of fisheries policy?

WGMARS hopes to nudge fisheries management in the right direction.

Machine learning and the data driven future of marine science

WGMLEARN chair speaks today at Future Science Brief.

ICES website gets a new structure

We have done a complete restructuring of our website, which means that most pages have new URLs. We encourage you to browse the new site, and update your old bookmarks accordingly.

FEATURE ARTICLE - Lessons from history for today's blue growth agendas

Is blue growth a new concept? Our latest feature explores what the past can teach us for a successful future.

Mind the gap!

Do ICES member countries have the potential to maintain a sustainable supply of seafood for their populations? New paper suggests that a concerted effort is needed to address aquaculture’s long-term future prospects.

Pulse trawling advice released

ICES responds to a request on whether pulse trawling contributes to reduced or increased ecosystem impacts.

Emergency measures to prevent bycatch of dolphins and porpoises

ICES advises combination of fisheries closures and pingers in the Bay of Biscay and Baltic Sea to prevent further population decline.

A year in review

ICES Annual Report 2019 now published.

Contaminants of emerging concern in the European marine environment

Merged marine chemistry and sediments groups seek CEC contributors.

Are you the next chair of ICES Ecosystem Processes and Dynamics Steering Group?

“EPDSG is a vibrant, novel, and exciting cluster of expert groups developing state-of-the-art science!” Nominations for Chair are now being accepted.

Are you the next chair of ICES Integrated Ecosystem Assessments Steering Group?

“A challenging and highly rewarding position within ICES where you can make a difference, both to the science and the organization.” Nominations for IEASG chair now accepted.

ICES Science Highlights: ICES science and advice in a changing Arctic Ocean

With ICES Science Highlights, we showcase the work of our expert groups. In this installment, we take a look at how our science and advice groups study the changing Arctic.

The Great Melt

ICES/PICES/PAME Working Group on Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) for the Central Arctic Ocean

Increased activity of oil and gas operations in the Arctic

Working Group on the Biological effects of Contaminants

Lofoten's legendary fishery

Arctic Fisheries Working Group

Observing ocean conditions

Working Group on Oceanic Hydrography

Towards a better understanding of marine ecosystems dynamics: Northeast Atlantic mackerel

Working Group on the Integrated Assessments of the Norwegian Sea

Plastics in the Arctic and the sub-Arctic region

Working Group on Marine Litter

Preparing for the unexpected?

Unravelling complex changes in marine ecosystems due to increasing human influence is the focus of the latest themed set of papers in ICES Journal of Marine Science.

Harmful algal blooms and non-indigenous species in the Arctic

Working Group on Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms, ICES-IOC-IMO Working Group on Ballast and Other Ship Vectors ICES-IOC Working Group on Harmful Algal Bloom Dynamics

Protocol for the Verification of Ballast Water Compliance Monitoring Devices

Working Group on Ballast and other Ship Vectors publish what they hope will serve as a standardized framework for the verification testing of CMDs.

Are you the next chair of ICES Ecosystem Observation Steering Group?

“Observations are essential to support all marine science and advice.” Nominations for EOSG chair now accepted.

Are you the next chair of the new ICES Data Science and Technology Steering Group?

“An opportunity to actively shape this new group to become a cornerstone of ICES science.” Nominations for DSTSG chair now accepted.

Deep learning in an ocean of data

The applications, utility, and promise of machine learning in marine science are demonstrated in the wide selection of case studies featured in latest themed set in ICES Journal of Marine Science.

Exploring the role of benthos in MPAs

A new paper from the Benthos Ecology Working Group summarizes the efforts of 20 benthologists.

In memoriam - Steve Hay

We are deeply saddened to inform about the passing of our colleague Steve Hay.

Introducing the new Chair of Science Committee

Jörn Schmidt will be charting the course of ICES science for the next three years as the new Chair of ICES Science Committee (SCICOM).

In memoriam - Clare Greathead

We are deeply saddened to inform about the passing of our colleague Clare Greathead.

FEATURE ARTICLE - Environmental DNA (eDNA) for the management of marine living resources

eDNA promises to revolutionize the examination of biodiversity in the wild by allowing the detection of larger organisms without the need to sample them and in the marine environment where traditional sampling is difficult to carry out.

Looking for leaders

Nominations are currently being accepted for four steering group chair positions.

IJMS Editor’s Choice – Fatty acid analysis in aquatic sciences

The latest selected Editor’s Choice article from the ICES Journal of Marine Science is now available. Here, read about the current state of knowledge of methods dedicated to both marine and freshwater lipid analyses.

IJMS Editor’s Choice – Age estimation of red snapper using FT-NIR spectroscopy

The latest selected Editor’s Choice article from ICES Journal of Marine Science is now available. Here, read about a study on the evaluated the feasibility of using Fourier-Transform Near Infrared Spectroscopy to generate ages for red snapper.

IJMS Editor’s Choice – Estimating cormorant predation in the northern Baltic Sea

The latest selected Editor’s Choice article from ICES Journal of Marine Science is now available. Here, read about the estimated effects of cormorant predation on a coastal perch population based on a PIT tag mark-recapture experiment.

IJMS Editor's Choice - Seeking the optimal balance

The latest selected Editor’s Choice article from ICES Journal of Marine Science is now available. Here, read about the trade-off between biodiversity and sustainable fish harvest with area-based management

Stories from the front lines

Nancy Turner introduces a new series on Ocean and coastal sustainability.

Opportunity or threat: meet the group keeping track of Pseudodiaptomus marinus

While the name EUROBUS might conjure up images of travelling through Europe on a bus trip, within ICES it is a group of scientists that focus on a different type of journey – that of the non-indigenous species Pseudodiaptomus marinus Sato, 1913.

FEATURE ARTICLE - Big data and fisheries acoustics

ICES Working Group on Fisheries Acoustics, Science, and Technology, and the next step in the evolution of fisheries acoustics.

What are the social benefits of aquaculture?

Visualizing the social in aquaculture: How social dimension components illustrate the effects of aquaculture across geographic scales

“One of the most innovative and creative scientists of his generation in marine ecology”

ICES honours Kenneth Frank with the 2020 Prix d'Excellence.

“We do our part to make the world a little bit more sustainable”

ICES honours Clara Ulrich with the 2020 Outstanding Achievement Award.

Reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic

ICES to host first webinar on understanding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on fisheries, markets, communities, and management. Join us on 16 September 16:00 CEST.

ICES training courses move online

Fish stock assessment and Bayesian network analysis courses are first up.

Reflections on working through the COVID-19 pandemic

Challenges of COVID-19 in connection to our science and our expert groups.

Developing methods to assess data-limited fish stocks

Join the workshop that advances data-limited assessment methodologies.

IJMS Editor’s Choice – Seafloor video observatories are emerging tools for monitoring programmes

The latest Editor’s Choice article from ICES Journal of Marine Science is now available. Here, a study explores the potential of video imagery to provide information to support fish stock and biodiversity assessments.

IJMS Editor’s Choice – Tuna aggregation dynamics through the eyes of commercial echosounder buoys

The latest Editor’s Choice article from the ICES Journal of Marine Science is now available. Here, the associative dynamics of tuna aggregations with floating objects are investigated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

ICES highlights risks associated with ships' scrubber discharge water

Recommendations to tackle the emerging global problems associated with ships' scrubber discharge water is the focus of ICES latest Viewpoint.

IJMS Editor’s Choice – Tracking Atlantic halibut migration

The latest Editor’s Choice article from the ICES Journal of Marine Science is now available. Here a unique academic-government-industry collaboration sheds new light on movement ecology of Atlantic halibut.

Status of deep-water sharks, skates, and rays in Northeast Atlantic

Two advice releases address status and distribution of deep-water elasmobranchs and provide update for the assessments for the OSPAR List of Threatened and/or Declining Species and Habitats.

“Mission Atlantic” launched to map and assess sustainable development of the Atlantic Ocean

ICES has joined forces with ocean experts from Europe, Brazil, South Africa, Canada, and the USA to map and assess current and future risks from climate change, natural hazards, and human activities in Atlantic ecosystems.

Marine recreational fisheries

What is the current state of recreational fisheries? And what does the future hold? The latest themed set in ICES Journal of Marine Science investigates.

Global trends in aquatic non-indigenous species detection: a 50-year perspective

An aquatic non-indigenous species is detected on average every 8.4 days. A new study from ICES groups on Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms and Ballast and Other Ship Vectors looks at trends in detection since 1965.

IJMS Editor's Choice - The missing whales

The latest Editor’s Choice article from the ICES Journal of Marine Science is now available. Here, read about the relevance of “struck and lost” rates for the impact assessment of historical whaling in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.

Ten years of advancing assessment methods for data-limited fish stocks

Until recently, fisheries science was unable to inform decision-makers on the status and potential of data-limited fish stocks because we lacked suitable assessment methods. Since 2010, ICES has turned this picture around.

IJMS Editor's Choice - A novel genetic analysis reveal spatial mismatch between management and biological units of haddock

The latest Editor’s Choice article from the ICES Journal of Marine Science is now available. Here, researchers measure genetic variability of haddock among fishing grounds across the North Atlantic and into the Arctic and Barents Sea.

A successful first online training course

ICES first online training course on fish stock assessment models took place mid-October. We spoke to the instructors and participants about the experience.

Defining state-of-the-art fishing gear

ICES advises the EU on innovative fishing gears. Gear experts have assessed benefits and impacts of innovative gear on marine ecosystems, sensitive habitats, and selectivity of fisheries.

FEATURE ARTICLE - If you build it, they will come

What lies in store for diadromous fish and diadromous fish science?

A microbial mandala for environmental monitoring

A new study from members of Working Group on Phytoplankton and Microbial Ecology explores approaches to predict multiple impacts on estuarine prokaryote communities of the Bay of Biscay.

The crossover from microscopy to genes in marine diversity

Working Group on Integrated Morphological and Molecular Taxonomy members provide insights into the paradigm shift from traditional morphology-based species identification to novel organism identification approaches based on molecular markers.

ICES Council: Community, carbon footprint, UN Decade of Ocean Science

Council thanks network, discusses impacts of COVID-19, and elects new Bureau members.

Upcoming workshops and courses

Take part in our upcoming training opportunities and science workshops.

New Fisheries Overviews for Greenland Sea and Azores ecoregions

Fisheries overviews portfolio grows to include nine ecoregions, including mixed-fisheries considerations for four ecoregions.

New Ecosystem Overview for the Greenland Sea

ICES releases nine updated and one new Ecosystem Overview.

North Atlantic atmosphere highlights 2019

Climatic conditions in the North Atlantic for 2019 presented by the Working Group on Oceanographic Hydrography in ICES Report on Ocean Climate.

What are "Other effective area-based conservation measures" and how can they be identified?

Join ICES/IUCN-CEM FEG Workshop on Testing OECM Practices and Strategies in March 2021 to explore if area-based fisheries management measures may be identified as “other effective area-based conservation measures".