The 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, including the adjacent Baltic and North seas.

ICES is a network of more than 1600 scientists from 200 institutes linked by the ICES Convention, an intergovernmental agreement, to add value to national research efforts.

Scientists working through ICES gather information about the marine ecosystem. Besides filling gaps in existing knowledge, this information is developed into unbiased, non-political advice.