ICES contributions to marine science - an overview.

The indirect and direct contributions by ICES to marine science are manifold. ICES serves as a forum for scientific discussions and as an initiator, coordinator, and facilitator of multi-national programmes in marine research and monitoring. It is midwife to other organizations, producer of standards and technical tables, data manager, and publisher. It bridges the gaps between academia and governmental institutes and administrations and provides on-the-job training to young scientists. Moreover, ICES contributed to marine science by opening up new ways of thinking and methodology which often went beyond its immediate applied objectives. ICES benefits from the unique diversity and high concentration of marine science institutions in Europe and North America and from the fact that Europe is particularly blessed by the ocean although it is also threatened by climate change. This paper deals with the services of ICES to marine science and management and with its direct contributions to hydrography, biological oceanography, fisheries, and fish biology.