Science Plan, Restructuring of ICES Science

and offers for joint activities

Presentation to SCOR Project Summit,

March 30 – April 1, 2009

11

2007 ICES Strategic Plan • Why an update was needed:

• 2002 plan is now 6 years old• for the science aspects of 2002 plan, feeling that the goals

were not prescriptive enough• need to re-consider the priorities of the member

countries for marine research• integrated management and EAM have evolved in

member countries with associated policy , requiring changes

• Need for balance between bottom-up activities from scientists within ICES, and top-down perspective from delegates, clients and member countries

22

ICES „old“ Science Committees

Oceanography

Fisheries Technology

Resource Management

Marine Habitat

Mariculture

Living Resources

Baltic Sea

Diadromous Fishes

Towards a Science Plan 2008

January 1st draft

Bureau WG, with full

ConC participation

MarchApril

Reviewedby

Corresp. Committees

EGs and Delegates

May 2nd draftReviewed

ByConCand

revised

June3rd draftReviewed

byBureau WG

Revised 4th draft

FebruaryReviewed

byDelegates

September5th draftBureauRecommendsadoption by DelegatesOctober

33

ICES Science Plan (2009-2013)

Focus of Plan – medium term strategic issues considered to

be critical to the demands for scientific advice in a five to ten year time period

Results– 16 research topics within 3 thematic areas,

some general points on implementation

44

ScienceProgramme

ACOM SciCom

Review/Advice Drafting

EXPERT GROUPS

EXPERT POOL

OptionsNeeds

Science – Advice LinkagesScience – Advice Linkages

55

Thematic Area 1: Understanding Ecosystem Functioning

• Climate change processes, and predictions of impacts

• Fish life history information in support of EAM• Biodiversity and the health of marine ecosystems• The role of coastal zone habitat in population

dynamics of commercially exploited species• Top predators (marine mammals, seabirds, and

large pelagics) in marine ecosystems• Sensitive ecosystems (deep sea corals,

seamounts, Arctic areas), as well as rare and data-poor species

• Integration of surveys in support of EAM

66

Thematic Area 2: Understanding Interactions of Human

Activities with Ecosystems

• Impacts of fishing with marine ecosystems• Carrying capacity and ecosystem interactions

associated with mariculture• Influence of development of renewable energy

resources (e.g. wind, hydropower, tidal and waves) on marine habitat and biota

• Population and community level impacts of contaminants, eutrophication, and habitat changes in the coastal zone

• Introduced and invasive species, their impacts on ecosystems and interactions with climate change processes

77

Thematic Area 3: Development of Options

for Sustainable Use of Ecosystems

• Marine living resource management tools• Operational modelling combining

oceanographic, ecosystem and population processes

• Marine spatial planning, including the effectiveness of management practices [e.g. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)], and its role in the conservation of biodiversity

• Contributions to socio-economic understanding of ecosystem goods and services, and forecasting of the impact of human activities

88

Some observations on the priorities identified

• 16 topics reflect the changing societal concerns on oceans by member countries

• Perhaps surprising focus on coastal zone issues• Ambitious agenda, thus need to prioritize, and

define the ICES niche within topic• Flexible, multi-disciplinary and horizontal,

approach needed for delivery• Need for issue based strategic partnering, and

enhanced capacity in specific disciplines• Strong links with advisory needs for Integrated

Management under the Ecosystem Approach

99

Establish effective mechanisms of collaboration within ICES and with others (organisations etc.) to deliver and add value to ICES science and advisory programmes.

Structure of Science Programme

1111

Evolution of Science Structure

• The new Consultative Committee is called “the ICES Science Committee (SciCom)

• Has national representation (20 delegates), plus present committee Chairs are invited, plus up to five members to fill disciplinary expertise lacking

• Is fully empowered to establish the intermediate layer as needed to deliver the science plan: disciplinary, geographical, dissemination

• Work plan in 2009 for Expert Groups based on resolutions approved by Council 2008

1212

Recommendations

Functions of SciCom -Interfacing with the advisory services to identify science priorities -Strategic planning -Management of science activities to achieve the goals of the

science plan (including making progress on 16 topics within the 3 thematic areas)

-Implementation of cross-cutting activities/programmes through partnerships

-Nurturing scientific disciplines and methodologies -Quality assurance of products (e.g. publications, state of

knowledge syntheses, advice on research priorities and strategies)

-Overseeing the ASC and symposia

1717

Perspective: a model

1717

EGs

ICES co-sponsored symposia 2009/10

• 2008/3/MHC04  The Sixth International Conference on Marine Bioinvasions will be held from 24–27 August 2009, in Portland, Oregon, USA, with Judith Pederson (US), Gil Rilov (US), and Mark Sytsma, (US) as conveners.

• 2008/3/LRC05    A Cephalopod International Advisory Council, CIAC ’09 symposium on “The effects of environmental variability on cephalopod populations” will be held from 3-11 September 2009, in Vigo, Spain, with Ángel Guerra et al. as conveners.

• 2008/3/OCC06   A Symposium on “Carrying Capacity what does it mean in a Changing Ocean?” will be held during [xx-xx/xx/ 2010], at Lisbon, Portugal, with Maria Fatima Borges (Portugal), Jake Rice (Canada), and NN (PICES) as Conveners. 

• 2008/3/OCC07   A Symposium on “Hydrobiological and ecosystem variability in the ICES area during the first decade of the XXI century” will be held during [spring/summer 2011], in Santander, Spain with Alicia Lavín (IEO) as local organizer and conveners to be named (tentatively Ken Drinkwater IMR Bergen, possibly someone from NAFO)

• 2008/3/OCC08   The 5th International Zooplankton Production Symposium will be held during March or April 2011, at Pucon, Chile with Ruben Escribano as local organizer and Steve Hay (UK) as ICES convener, together with conveners appointed by PICES and IMBER (contacts with both institutions are initiated).

ICES co-sponsored symposia 2011

29 October 2008