Observation and monitoring is a science priority for ICES. It allows us to track changes in the environment and ecosystems and to identify resources for sustainable use and protection.
While monitoring at sea has taken place for a long time, the focus of monitoring has moved from researching one specific topic, such as hydrography, chlorophyll, or fish species, to a wider ecosystem scope, where multiple elements in the system, as well as their presumed relationships, are of importance.
The latest publication in our Cooperative Research Report (CRR) series, CRR 347 Moving towards integrated ecosystem monitoring, focuses on this shift and provides structured guidance on how to set up monitoring at sea.
The guidance takes a stepwise approach, highlighting the important points for consideration. The methodology has been developed by the participants of the Working Group on Integrating Surveys for the Ecosystem Approach (WGISUR).
With the CRR, WGISUR aims to help decision-making on the approach taken when moving
towards ecosystem monitoring and they have designed it to be adaptable and flexible. They encourage users to provide them with input
on experiences and suggestions for improvement, as "only by sharing knowledge and feedback on the document can
we move forward".