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  1. Mission
  2. Area of competence
  3. Organizations involved
  4. Species and stocks coverage
  5. Languages
  6. Structure
  7. Legal framework
  8. Activities and meetings
  9. Publications
  10. Contacts
MissionObjectivesThe International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) coordinates and promotes marine research on oceanography, the marine environment, the marine ecosystem, and on living marine resources in the North Atlantic. ICES is a scientific and research organization for the provision of information and advice to member countries and international bodies. FunctionsThe main objectives of the Council are:
  • to promote and encourage research and investigations for the study of the sea particularly those related to the living resources thereof
  • to draw up programmes required for this purpose and to organise, in agreement with the contracting parties, such research and investigations as may appear necessary
  • to publish or otherwise disseminate the results of research and investigations carried out under its auspices or to encourage the publication thereof
 Area of competence
  • for fisheries advisory: North East Atlantic
  • for scientific advice: Atlantic Ocean and its adjacent seas and primarily the North Atlantic.
ICES area of competence - High seas, National waters
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The designations employed and the presentation of material in the map(s) are for illustration only and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal or constitutional status of any country, territory or sea area, or concerning the delimitation of frontiers or boundaries.
 Organizations involved

Member: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States of America.

* Denmark (including Greenland and Faroe Islands).

Affiliated country: Australia, Chile, Peru, South Africa.

Non governmental organisations with formal observer status are: Worldwide Fund for Nature and BirdLife International. Species and stocks coverageAll species in the area of competences. LanguagesEnglish, French. StructureICES CouncilThe Council is the decision and policy-making body. It is composed of two delegates appointed by each of the 20 member countries. The Council is chaired by the President, elected from among the Delegates for a term of three years. BureauThe bureau is ICES Executive Committee. It is composed of the President, the First Vice-President and 5 Vice-Presidents.

The Bureau members are elected from the delegates for a three years term. Finance CommitteeThe Finance Committee is composed of five Delegates. It examines (a) the audited Accounts of the Council for the preceding financial year; (b) the preliminary Accounts for the current financial year; (c) a Budget for the ensuing financial year and a Forecast Budget for the next following year. Science CommitteeThe Science Committee (SCICOM) oversees all aspects of ICES scientific work.
The ICES Council has delegated its science authority to the Science Committee (SCICOM). This Committee establishes the mechanisms necessary to deliver the Science Plan. Advisory CommitteeICES Advisory Services provides advice to clients on marine ecosystem issues. The advisory Committee (ACOM) is the sole competent body for ICES for scientific advice in support of the management of coastal and ocean resources and ecosystems.
The Committee works on the basis of scientific analysis prepared in the ICES expert groups and the advisory process includes peer review of the analysis before it can be used as basis for the advice. The advice is finalized by the Advisory Committee.
The Advisory Committee has one member from each member country under the direction of an independent chair appointed by the Council. ICES Expert GroupsExpert groups are the foundation of ICES scientific programme. They are composed of national experts from the 20 member countries. ICES Working/Study Groups cover all aspects of the marine ecosystem from oceanography to seabirds and marine mammals. ICES has more than 100 Expert/Study Groups that cover most aspects of the marine ecosystem. Legal frameworkEstablished by the Convention for the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, signed in Copenhagen, Denmark, 12 September 1964. The Council had been established in 1902 and the new Convention aimed to facilitate the implementation of its Programme. The Convention entered into force on 22 July 1968. http://www.ices.dk/aboutus/convention.asp Activities and meetingsA large range of Information about the ICES activities are available on the ICES Website concerning : Information and Schedule of past and coming events are also available on the ICES Website: Publications ICES produces a large number of reports, publications and data. The publications mainly comprise: ICES Journal of Marine Science, ICES Advice; Cooperative Research Reports, ICES Techniques in Marine Environmental Sciences (TIME), identification leaflets, Fisheries statistics, symposium reports, annual reports, CD-ROMs, Conference and meetings documents and others miscellaneous publications.
Those publications are available on the ICES Web site.
Additional information on marine world is also available on the site http://www.ices.dk/marineworld/marineworld_intro.asp. Contacts

ICES

H.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-46
COPENHAGEN V
DK-1553
Denmark

Telephone: +45 33386700

Fax: +45 33934215

Email: info@ices.dk

Web site: http://www.ices.dk

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