Ireland set to host a major marine conference this week

The Marine Institute is delighted to welcome the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) ‘Annual Science Conference’(ASC) to Ireland.

The ICES ASC is commencing today in the Aviva, Dublin and will run from 19-22 of September.

The ASC was cancelled in 2000 and was fully virtual in 2021. 

This year’s event in Dublin will be a hybrid conference and the ICES network has the opportunity to meet in person for the first time since 2019. The organisers are expecting up to 500 in person attendees and another 200 joining virtually.

This important date in the marine calendar provides opportunities for marine scientists from across the world to meet, present and discuss the latest science around supporting the sustainable use of our oceans.

Increasingly there is a greater focus on the importance of our oceans in addressing environmental and economic challenges both nationally and internationally and the ICES conference is a key marine milestone for Ireland.

The Marine Institute provides broad range of dedicated marine scientists that make a valuable contribution to the leadership, advisory, scientific and data work of ICES. The conference speakers will focus attention on the ocean, on our increased marine science capacity and especially on the work that we do to provide robust science, data and advice for the sustainable use of our ocean space.

The conference will address many diverse and topical issues in marine science including spatial management of our ocean, climate change, biodiversity, extreme events, integration of fisher’s knowledge into marine management, sustainable aquaculture in a changing world, offshore renewable energy and engaging society in visions of our future.

The ICES ASC 2022 is supported by funding from the Government of Ireland and the European Union as part of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) Operational Programme for 2021-2027.

'Working together to understand the #ocean' #marinescientists #ICESASC22 https://t.co/2x2kCBdlhe

— Sheila Byrnes (@ByrnesSheila) September 20, 2022

Ireland will be leading the opening keynote session today and the panel will be moderated by Dr Glenn Nolan, Head of Oceanographic and Climate Services at the Marine Institute.

The session will examine the climate change impacts on North Atlantic/Irish waters and give the perspectives of four leading Irish marine scientists – Professor Dave Reid, Marine Institute; Eimear Manning, National Youth Council of Ireland; Dr Grace Cott, UCD and Dr Gerard McCarthy NUI Maynooth. 

Temperature changes in the Atlantic, change in distribution of fish stocks, impacts on coastal habitats which store carbon and coastal communities, and their livelihoods will be the central focus of the session. 

Dr Paul Connolly, CEO of the Marine Institute, speaking from the conference said:

“We are delighted to welcome the ICES community to Ireland for what promises to be an engaging and timely conference. We face many challenges and will have to make decisions about our ocean that will have environmental, economic and social impact. 

“We need the best quality data, science and advice to inform these decisions. The conference provides opportunities for everyone, from students and early career scientists to senior scientists and leaders of research institutes, academia and other scientific organisations to network.

“Scientists will showcase their work and deepen our understanding on how we can both protect and harness the full potential of our oceans.”

Irish scientists are making valuable contributions to the conference agenda and showcasing their marine science across many diverse areas. 

• Approximately 500 abstracts or posters have been submitted from the 20 member countries of ICES.
• 44 abstracts have been submitted with an Irish scientist as the lead author - which is 8.6% of the total
• 20 of these are from the Marine Institute. If you include co-authors this brings the number up to over 30.
• When you compare Ireland’s submissions with those from other countries - Ireland is ranked third after US and UK. A great demonstration of the excellence in our science.

To get all the latest updates on the exciting work of the Marine Institute and their ICES conference contributions follow us on Twitter @MarineInst Facebook @MarineInstitute and Instagram @MarineInstituteIreland. 

You can follow the conference across the three days on Twitter using #ICESASC22.