HRH Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden visits ICES Secretariat

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, accompanied by Jenny Valind, First Secretary of the Swedish Embassy in Copenhagen, visited the Secretariat of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on Monday 17 October.

Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is greeted by ICES Senior Advisor Jan Thulin and ICES President Michael Sinclair. Other ICES staff include (left to right) Helle Falck, Mune D. L. Veilberg, Görel Kjeldsen, and Helge G. Larsen.

Greeted by ICES President Michael Sinclair, the Royal party was given an introduction to ICES work. Sinclair recounted the history of ICES and its close connection with the Swedish monarchy, which has been involved with ICES from its inception at the turn of the 20th century.

Sinclair explained that, in 1898, King Oscar II of Sweden, Princess Victoria’s great-great-great grandfather, proposed an international conference to discuss the collaborative scientific study of the sea. This conference took place in Stockholm a year later with eight participating nations: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. A success on all accounts, this initial meeting paved the way for the establishment of ICES and its inaugural meeting in Copenhagen in 1902. It was King Oscar’s wish that the organization create “science for society”.

Head of ICES Data Centre Neil Holdsworth (centre) describes the work of ICES Data Centre.

Poul Degnbol, Head of the Advisory Programme, opened his presentation with the thought that the sea is an international concern, justifying the international scope of ICES work. He explained ICES work as being the coordination and promotion of marine science, the collection and maintenance of scientific data, and the publication of advice on the ecology of the North Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, and the Baltic Sea, an area of special interest to Princess Victoria.

Jan Thulin, ICES Senior Advisor, who was instrumental in arranging the royal visit, spoke about the historical development of the Baltic and its unique characteristics. After enumerating the threats facing the Baltic, including eutrophication (the addition to an aquatic system of nitrates and phosphates through fertilizers or sewage), overfishing, pollution, invasive species, and climate change, he explained the work that was being done to overcome the problems.

Princess Victoria receives members of ICES staff. She is shaking hands with Carlos Pinto, ICES Data Systems Analyst.

Head of ICES Data Centre Neil Holdsworth described ICES work of gathering, storing, safeguarding, and disseminating data kept in ICES databases. He explained the importance of ensuring the quality, quantity, consistency, and broad coverage of the data, which is freely available through ICES data portal on its website.

Wojciech Wawrzynski, Professional Secretary for Scientific Cooperation, detailed some of the work that ICES is doing in scientific cooperation, in particular its role in leading the Marcom+ project.

The royal visit grew out of the Crown Princess’s serious interest in the marine environment. According to Thulin, the visit has been in the planning for two years. “She had obviously prepared herself for the visit. It’s clear that she really wants to go deeper into the subject”.

The Royal party visited a course being offered by ICES Training programme, “Approaches to the Integrated Assessment of Status and Trends in Marine Ecosystems”.

President Sinclair commented, “She was very gracious to visit us. She showed her interest in the conservation of the ocean through the questions she asked and her intense engagement. It seems that she wants to shorten the distance between science and management. She wants results”.

During a reception with ICES staff, the Princess said “I’m very happy to be here. It’s very interesting to see at close range the important work that you are doing”. After meeting the staff, the party visited a course being offered by ICES Training programme, “Approaches to the Integrated Assessment of Status and Trends in Marine Ecosystems”.

ICES Senior Advisor Jan Thulin and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria.

ICES General Secretary Gerd Hubold said, “We’re very pleased by the interest shown by her Royal Highness in our work. We’re looking forward to her next visit”.

Photos: Lee Martin, ICES.

ICES
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info@ices.dk