Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea Annual Science Conference on 17 September 2007

I am delighted to be here and it is a great pleasure for me to address this 2007 Annual Science Conference of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. I am also very pleased to welcome you all to Finland and Helsinki, the capital of our country.

A hundred and five years ago the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) was established. In this connection, I would like to highlight that Finland was among the first signatories of the Convention in 1902; even though Finland was not an independent state until 1917 – we are celebrating the 90th anniversary of our independence this year.

Since the founding of ICES, we have learned a tremendous amount about marine ecosystems and scientific co-operation in general, and marine research has become an increasingly important tool in finding answers to the growing number of questions and in solving problems.

Professor D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson, biologist, mathematician and classics scholar, said in June 1899 at the first International Conference for the Exploration of the Sea that the primary aim for the organisation is:

"to estimate quantity of fish available for the use of man, to record the variations in its amount from place to place and from time to time, to ascribe natural variations to their natural causes, and to determine whether or how far variations in the available stock are caused by the operations of man, and, if so, whether, when, or how measures of restriction and protection should be applied”.

This wise statement is still valid today and it forms the basis of the present mission of ICES to advance the scientific capacity to give advice on human activities affecting, and affected by, marine ecosystems. ICES is today an organisation of 20 member countries coordinating and promoting marine research in the North Atlantic and adjacent waters. It is important that the scientific advice given is useful, relevant and responsive in facing the current challenges.

For us Finns, the Baltic Sea is very close to our hearts. As the Baltic Sea is the product of the last glacial period it has many quite unusual characteristics. It hosts both marine and freshwater organisms live side by side with a number of living relict species.

The Baltic Sea has always been an important source of livelihood and a gateway to the outside world. For thousands of years, it has operated as a transport route for culture and goods providing, at the same time, a living for fishermen and offering us a chance to enjoy both the tranquil and wild side of nature.

Even though we have learned to respect the Baltic Sea, it is suffering from a constant pressure from many anthropogenic activities. It is our responsibility to give a brighter future for the Baltic Sea. It is important to understand that a multitude of human actions have changed and are changing the Baltic Sea ecosystem. The effects of these actions cannot be singled out but are often cumulative effects of various actions.

It is well known that the most serious problems of the Baltic Sea are eutrophication, persistent harmful substances as well as accident risks and risks of invasion of non-indigenous species arising from growing oil transport.

The risk of non-indigenous species is not only science fiction or hypothetic risk but a part of today’s reality. A few weeks ago we received a worrying message from the marine scientists that they had found large colonies of comb jelly in the Baltic Sea. In the last two decades, comb jelly has invaded the Black Sea, Azov, Marmara, Aegean Seas and recently it was also found in the Caspian Sea. Now it has invaded the Baltic Sea at least up to the Bothnian Sea area. It remains to be seen what kind of ecosystem effects it will cause here.

Fisheries management has proved to be very difficult. The key question is: Are exploitation, conservation and management measures presently in force designed to ensure the long-term sustainability of fishery resources at such levels which promote the objective of optimum utilization and maintain their availability for present and future generations? The goal for achieving sustainable development in fisheries sector in oceans and in the Baltic Sea need new forms and avenues to be economically and socially sustainable, environmentally safe and responsible.

Co-operation across national borders is increasingly needed to solve the problems of marine environment. Regional conventions on the protection of marine environment – in the Baltic Sea HELCOM, and in the North-East Atlantic OSPAR Commission – have had for several decades an important task in promoting marine protection. There has also been close co-operation between the ICES and these commissions.

Currently in the European Union, there is a process under development to achieve a good environmental state of the European marine environments by the year 2021. The aim is to develop marine strategies for the marine waters of the member states in each of the European marine regions. The Baltic Sea forms one of the marine regions and in Finland this integrated approach is considered highly welcome.

Environmental protection is a key element also in the Northern Dimension. Maritime safety at sea is a particularly crucial issue, especially where oil transportation is concerned. The Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership between the European Union, Russia, the International Financial Institutions and bilateral donors is a good example of concrete environmental action at a regional level. The first project of the Partnership, the Wastewater Treatment Plant in St. Petersburg, was completed in September 2005.

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I am glad to note that there are more than 600 participants in this conference, which gives you the opportunity to discuss today’s burning research issues with many of your colleagues in the field and to get many different perspectives for marine research in the years ahead.

The marine scientific community has long been a promoter of sustainable use of marine resources and marine environment protection. It is well known that both policy and decision-making should be supported by excellence in marine science and that an integration of marine science across all scientific themes and areas is necessary in order to maximise the benefits from marine research. I would like to use this opportunity to thank scientific community for its contribution in protecting marine environment.

Research and science as such is a good start, but it is not sufficient. There is an urgent need to ensure that research output, as stated in the ICES mission, is disseminated in such a way that is easy to understand and use by policy-makers and as well as the industry. It is also important to enhance dialogue between scientists, policy-makers, industry and citizens.

Finally, seas and oceans are under multiple pressures and threats, such as global warming and its effects. Allow me therefore to invite this ICES scientific community to take up the challenges that lie ahead of us in your Annual Science Conference here in Helsinki this week.

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With these words, I declare International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Annual Science Conference in Helsinki, Finland open.

2007 ICES Annual Science Conference

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea