​​Scientists, policymakers, and industry experts from across the world gathered in Gateshead, UK from 9–12 September to discuss a wide range of topics related to oceanography, marine ecosystems, fisheries, and sustainable development at our Annual Science Conference 2024 (ASC). The ASC fosters collaboration across different fields and disciplines, making it a prime opportunity for sharing research, building partnerships, discussing innovative methodologies and formulating future research directions critical for sustainable ocean management.

The ASC provides a platform for hundreds of participants, from early-career scientists to seasoned leaders, to share the latest research and foster collaborations. Key themes at this year's conference included marine ecosystem resilience, climate change impacts on marine environments, integrating marine spatial planning with climate change adaptation strategies, and advancements in fisheries management. ​

Merit awards

The best poster and oral presentations from the conference were awarded during the Closing ceremony.

Best posters

Lorena Romero-Martinez from the British Antarctic Survey was awarded for her poster on  Investigating fish by catching uncertainties to improve Antarctic Krill fishery management​ which was presented in Theme session B Towards integrated operational marine science and advice. Through a thorough methodological process, Romero-Martinez is building a library of taxonomic and DNA information for the Antarctic krill fishery bycatch. This library is not only going to be a useful tool for onboard observers, but an informative guide for fishermen. The Merit Award Group also recognized that this work has broader implications and scope.​

Jenny Volstorf from the  Fair-fish Database  was also awarded for her poster   Review and Welfare Assessment of wild-caught aquatic Species—the Fair-fish Database  , which was presented in Theme Session M on Welfare-conscious and Sustainable Fishing in the 21st Century. The Merit Award group said that it was an enthusiastic but realistic presentation with clear and well-organized content. Easy to understand for any audience, the work proposes a way to quantify the welfare by species and this is an innovative and promising issue in the fisheries context.

Best presentations

Carissa Gervasi, NOAA was awarded best presentation for her talk  Using stakeholder knowledge and system dynamics to integrate socioeconomic information into the fisheries stock assessment process  in Theme Session K on Incorporating human dimensions to improve fishing opportunities advice.

Gervasi is currently studying ecosystem dynamics of the red snapper fishery in the Gulf of Mexico, US, to develop a standardized framework for incorporating ecosystem and socio-economic information into the stock assessment process. In an era of rapid environmental change and increasing human pressures, it is becoming increasingly important to account for the impacts of ecosystem and socio-economic drivers on fish stocks and in assessment models and management advice. These changes are happening at a global scale, highlighting the importance of Carissa's research to ICES community. 

Patricia Puerta Ordóñez,   Centro Oceanográfico de Baleares, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO)  , was also awarded best presentation for her talk   Biodiversity changes and reorganization of the demersal communities in the western Mediterranean  in Theme Session E on Developing applied evidence for biodiversity conservation and management 

Puerta's research integrates fisheries oceanography and benthic ecology into ecological modeling, focusing on the spatio-temporal patterns and trends at species, population and community levels. "I´m interested in the causes of spatial and temporal variability, particularly on the effects of cumulative impacts of Climate Change in the biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea. My work advances in the understanding of the structure and dynamics at community and ecosystem level using novel modeling techniques to provide advice, user-tools and different trade-off scenarios to manage marine resources and preserve biodiversity." The outcomes of Puerta's research feed into different initiatives, from  ICES Working Group on Comparative ecosystem-based Analyzes of Atlantic and Mediterranean marine systems (WGCOMEDA)  to improve the ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries across European Seas to conservation stewardship plans lead by local communities in the Balearic Islands.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Cheers to the chairs

Several service awards were also presented to outgoing Chairs of several groups: Jörn Schmidt, Chair of Science Committee (SCICOM); Carl O'Brien, Chair of Awards Committee; Henn Ojaveer, Vice-Chair of the Advisory Committee (ACOM); Steven Degraer, Chair of the Ecosystem Processes and Dynamics Steering Group (EPDSG); Debbi Pedreschi, Chair of the Integrated Ecosystem Assessments Steering Group (IEASG); Jens Rasmussen, Chair of the Data Science and Technology Steering Group (DSTSG); Alina Madita Wieczorek and Amanda Schadeberg, co-chairs of the Strategic Initiative on Integration of Early Career Scientists (SIIECS); Alan Baudron, Chair of ICES-PICES Strategic Initiative on Climate Change Impacts on Marine Ecosystems (SICCME); and Sjur Ringheim Lid, Chair of Data Information Group (DIG). Thank you all for your dedication and leadership.

Watch back
All three keynotes - Advancing the frontiers of transdisciplinary marine science by Louisa Evans,  The evolutionary physiology of Atlantic salmon under heatwaves by  Jenni Prokkola,  and The ecological mechanics of light and life in the open ocean​ by  Tom Langbehn  - are available to watch on ICES YouTube channel , along with the opening ceremony which includes ICES Prix d'Excellence and Outstanding Achievement Award presentations, and the closing ceremony.

​ASC 2025

Next year, our   Annual Science Conference   will take place from 15-18 September at Klaipeda University, Lithuania .