News

Marine scientists from across Europe gathered in Ostend at the EurOCEAN 2010 Conference (12-13 October) where the Ostend Declaration was adopted. This declaration will act as a guideline to address the grand challenges and opportunities facing Europe’s seas and oceans in the coming decade.

Together with a wide range of field experts from Belgium and taxonomic experts worldwide, the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) started to compile an inventory of all species living in the Belgian part of North Sea. At the moment, the Belgian Register of Marine Species (BeRMS) comprises 2187 species. An updated version of this list is consultable at all times via the new website of the Belgian...

An important mission of the Flanders Marine Institute is to create visibility for the marine and coastal research in Flanders. We therefore invest a lot in disseminating the output of the Flemish scientists via the world wide web.

Until the 4th of October, individuals or organisations can give their support and comments on the draft text of the " Ostend declaration". The statement will be launched on the 13th of October as the final piece of EurOCEAN2010. This international top-meeting will bring together the European marine scientists and policy makers. They will formulate the state-of-the-art in marine research and will...

To underpin and implement the integrated European Maritime Policy, including the Framework Marine Strategy, all available knowledge have to be combined and mobilized. Europe's fragmented activities for observing the sea should be integrated into an coherent package. With its new campaign ' Marine Knowledge 2020' the EU want to draw the attention to the further extension of a ' European Observation...

Annual award (1.000 EUR) for study on the structure and functioning of the North Sea ecosystem, with emphasis on coastal and estuarine areas of the Southern Bight and the Channel. Deadline: 29.10.2010

Annually two awards (500 EUR) for marine Master theses. Deadline: 29.10.2010

With a 89,000 km long coastline, Europe is a maritime continent which derives huge societal benefits from its seas and oceans. Coastal regions host almost half the population of EU countries with a sea border. To consolidate and reinforce the sustainable use of its marine waters and to meet the grand challenges and opportunities of the future, Europe has developed holistic policies, including the...

Until recently, the ScheldeMonitor was mainly known as an information system containing all publications, projects and data sets with regard to research and monitoring in the Scheldt estuary. Now major steps were made to develop ScheldeMonitor further into a data portal in which actual measurement data can be consulted.

The Project Office for IODE, hosted and supported by the Flemish Government through the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), is in search of a permanent staff member for the coordination of its international renomated technical training programme.

A final decision has been taken: the Dutch shipbuilder “Damen Shipyards Gorinchem” has been commissioned for the construction of the Simon Stevin, the ultramodern research vessel that will replace the "Zeeleeuw". The Flemish government gave its final approval on 5 August 2010, after which the order for the construction could be given. The ship will have a length of 36 m, a width of 9 m and a...

As since 1960 the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO is active in the oceans and seas all over the world. On the 8th of June 2010 – on the occasion of the celebration of their fifty years existence – a message on behave of the oceans was spread to all peoples and nations of the world. It is a plea to deal more carefully with the oceans and to give them the attention they...

In 1843 professor Pierre-Joseph van Beneden from Leuven installed the world’s very first marine research station in Ostend. In doing so the Belgian professor was ahead of his time and of a wave of similar stations elsewhere in Europe and the world, and would lay the foundation of a long tradition of marine institutes in Ostend. A meticulous study of historical source material now also shows the...

The EurOCEAN 2010 Conference in Ostende, Belgium (12-13 October 2010) will provide a unique opportunity for the European marine science community to consider, discuss and respond to new policy developments and achievements since the last EurOCEAN conference (2007, Aberdeen); and to highlight new challenges and opportunities for marine research in the next decade. More info on www.eurocean2010.eu...

The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) collaborated in the development of a user-friendly web application for the calculation of the biologic BEQI-index (Benthic Ecosystem Quality Index), making the ecologic assessment of coastal and transitional waters based on bottom animals (macrobenthos) - according to the Water Framework Directive - more accessible: www.beqi.eu.

The progress of the tsunami was followed closely via the sea level monitoringssystem, developed by IOC/UNESCO, IODE and VLIZ in Oostend, Belgium.

Until the 15 th of January marine researchers at European universities of institutes can express their interest in funded ship time onboard of numerous European research vessels.

Version 5.0 of this global database covering the maritime boundaries of all coastal states worldwide is now available at www.vliz.be/vmdcdata/marbound. In 2009 VLIZ counted more than 2000 downloads by users from all over the world. The dataset is used for the preparation of building and development plans at sea, environmental impact assessments, marine and coastal studies, school projects, etc.