ICES

Name

ICES

Legal name

International Council for the Exploration of the Sea

Website

https://ices.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Science and Fisheries Advisory Services

NAICS

Fishing (1141), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Other Marine Fishing (114119)

SIC

Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Aquatic Ecology & Fisheries Assessments (EUAHAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

Keywords

• Marine science advice
• Fisheries stock assessment
• Oceanographic data platforms
• Ecosystem assessment services
• Marine data management

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Contributions: ICES is a membership organization with member countries that contribute to the organization's funding and governance. The organization provides advice to member countries and stakeholders on marine ecosystems and fisheries management.
2. Project Collaboration Funding: ICES participates in EU-funded research projects (Horizon Europe, EMFAF, EMFF) contributing expertise and receiving project funding for specific scientific tasks.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ICES generates independent, peer-reviewed scientific advice on the sustainable use and protection of the North-East Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas. It curates long-term marine datasets and operates open data platforms and assessment tools (dataXplorer, adviceXplorer, fisheriesXplorer, SmartDots, DATRAS) that support fisheries stock assessments, integrated ecosystem assessments, and ecosystem and fisheries overviews delivered to member-country governments and regional management bodies.

Product overview

ICES operates as a science network providing a comprehensive marine data and advisory platform. The core offerings include dataXplorer for accessing marine biological, environmental, oceanographic, and underwater noise data; adviceXplorer and fisheriesXplorer for exploring fisheries and ecosystem advice; SmartDots for quality assurance of biological parameters in stock assessments; and DATRAS for trawl survey data management. Additional products include the Stock Information Database, themed data portals (biodiversity, fisheries, marine environment), assessment tools, ecosystem and fisheries overviews, the ICES Library publication repository, vocabulary services, mapping tools, and the data calls submission portal. The ecosystem integrates these tools to support science-based advice for sustainable marine management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• dataXplorer

Quantifiable outcome

• ICES provides advice on fishing opportunities for commercial fish stocks across European waters
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• OCCAM (NOFIMA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025OCCAM implements, tests, and evaluates innovative solutions for climate change adaptation and mitigation in aquaculture. ICES builds on case studies to shape advice on aquaculture and climate impacts. Duration: 2025-2029. Funded by EU Horizon Europe.
• Smart4SAM (DTU - Denmark's Technical University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Smart4SAM develops an end-to-end management framework for quality assurance of age and maturity data integration into stock assessments using SmartDots platform. Duration: 2025-2028. Funded by EMFAF.
• MeCCAM (Sjókovin, Faroes)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025MeCCAM develops climate mitigation and adaptation solutions for European fisheries. ICES leads stakeholder outreach and training, and develops prototypes for climate-informed fisheries advice. Duration: 2025-2029. Funded by EU Horizon Europe.
• IMBUS (Technical University of Denmark - DTU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025IMBUS develops standardized tools for better use of ICES bottom trawl survey data. ICES leads Work Package 5, building on DATRAS database custodianship to strengthen data quality assurance. Duration: 2025-2027. Funded by EMFAF.
• MarineGuardian (Matís)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025MarineGuardian provides impact-driven solutions to reduce fisheries' environmental impacts. ICES provides expertise on maximizing impact, knowledge transfer, and policy integration. Duration: 2025-2029. Funded by EU Horizon Europe.
• Mission Atlantic (DTU - Denmark's Technical University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2020Mission Atlantic aims to map and assess current and future risks from climate change and human activities in Atlantic ecosystems. ICES addresses IEA data availability, improves professional skills, and consults stakeholders. Funded by EU Horizon 2020 (€11.5M). Duration: 2020-2025.
• EMODnet Biology (Flanders Marine Institute VLIZ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICES collaborates with EMODnet Biology to further development of an operational service where marine biological data is made freely available. ICES is a major provider of biological observations and contributes to data standards and harmonization.
• EMODnet Chemistry (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale OGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICES leads the work package on user feedback, especially linking MSFD into data product development. ICES contributes to data standards and harmonization for marine chemical data.
• EMODnet Data Ingestion (The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research HCMR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICES serves as a point of contact for biological and environmental data in the EMODnet Data Ingestion project that facilitates marine data submission and dissemination.
• EMODnet Physics (ETT S.p.A.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICES Data Centre provides expertise in underwater noise data developments and helps provide web services to the EMODnet Physics portal.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NOAA Fisheries (National Marine Fisheries Service): U.S. federal agency providing fisheries science, stock assessments, and marine resource management advice — directly comparable to ICES in mandate (science-based fisheries advice) and product offerings (data portals, stock assessments), but U.S.-focused.
• FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department: UN agency division providing global fisheries and aquaculture science, policy advice, and data — overlapping with ICES' fisheries science and advisory mandate, but at a global rather than regional (North Atlantic/European) scale.
• European Environment Agency (EEA): EU agency providing environmental data and assessments across Europe — overlaps with ICES on marine environmental data, ecosystem overviews, and indicators, but at a broader environmental (not fisheries-focused) remit.

Direct peers

• HELCOM (Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission): Regional intergovernmental body for Baltic Sea environmental protection — comparable in mandate and intergovernmental structure to ICES for the Baltic Sea subregion, and an active user/partner of ICES data and advice.
• NAFO (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization): Regional fisheries management organization providing scientific advice on Northwest Atlantic stocks — closely comparable to ICES' fisheries advisory role, with overlapping scientific working groups (e.g., Joint NAFO/ICES Pandalus Assessment).
• OSPAR Commission: Intergovernmental cooperation on marine environmental protection in the North-East Atlantic — overlaps with ICES on ecosystem assessments and marine data, particularly for the OSPAR maritime area that ICES also serves.
• IOC-UNESCO (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission): UN intergovernmental body coordinating ocean science, observations, and data — closely comparable to ICES in intergovernmental structure and marine data mandate, but with a global rather than European focus.
• PICES (North Pacific Marine Science Organization): Intergovernmental organization coordinating marine science across North Pacific rim countries — directly comparable to ICES in structure (member-country funded, expert groups, scientific advice), but serving a different ocean basin.

Regional players

• ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas): Intergovernmental body providing science-based advice on Atlantic tuna and tuna-like species — comparable advisory mandate to ICES but focused on a specific species group and broader Atlantic geography.
• GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean): Regional fisheries management body under FAO for the Mediterranean and Black Sea — comparable to ICES in providing fisheries science and advice to member countries, but serving a different regional ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ICES_ASC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ICESmarine
• Facebookfacebook.com/ICES.Marine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ices-cp

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ICES