ABSTRACT
Oceanographic investigations form integral parts of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) programme of multidisciplinary work aimed at understanding the features and dynamics of water masses and their ecological processes. In many instances emphasis is placed on the influence of changes in hydrography and current flow on the distribution, abundance, and population dynamics of finfish and shellfish stocks. In mid-1996 ICES established a project office to co-ordinate the North Atlantic Regional Programme of Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC). GLOBEC will provide an enhanced understanding of oceanic mesoscale physical and biological interactions, contributing to the international global change research effort. The ICES Council, composed of two delegates appointed by each member government, elects the Bureau. While the ICES itself is not a regulatory body, its Advisory Committee on Fishery Management and Advisory Committee on the Marine Environment provide scientific information and advice, including recommendations for management measures.
