Nine billion human beings by 2050… Population growth is a major challenge for humanity, raising many questions. How will the Earth feed its population? How will humans meet their needs for energy and raw materials Saint Pierre and Miquelon (mineral and biological resources)? How will the environment bear the impact of human activities? Pacific Martinique Knowing that more than 60% of the world’s population lives within 150 km Centre of the coast, these issues contribute to making the oceans and the marine Tahiti environment a ‘new frontier’ for humanity. Marine science and technology Reunion have a key role to play in guiding public policy and finding new ways to Island reconcile environmental protection and resource exploitation.

IFREMER sites

Channel-North Sea centre

Boulogne-sur-mer

Brittany centre Port-en-Bessin Argenton Headquarters Dinard Brest Plouzané Concarneau Issy-les-Moulineaux

Nantes Ifremer, ’s Atlantic Bouin 510 PUBLISHED L’Houmeau SCIENTIFIC centre Marine Research ARTICLES La Tremblade 5 centres indexed in the Institute and Web of Science in 2017 Ifremer, France’s national integrated marine science affiliated Arcachon research institute, is a reference for knowledge on the 19 coastal marine environment and its resources. On the national, stations € 200 M Anglet Palavas A SEA OF SCIENCES European and international levels, Ifremer is an instigator Annual budget Institut Français de Recherche pour l’Exploitation de la Mer of coordinated research programmes and infrastructure (EXTERNAL OPERATIONS Sète development. For example, Ifremer now runs and ope- ONLY) WORKFORCE of rates the French Oceanographic Fleet. La Seyne-sur-mer Bastia Ifremer produces knowledge and know-how on the marine 1 500 Mediterranean environment, meeting the needs for research, for techno- centre logical development and innovation, for current and future PEOPLE societal issues and for the sustainable harvesting of marine including 600 engineers/ resources and the conservation of marine ecosystems. researchers Ifremer is a leader in the marine science fields and can mobilise the scientific community and socio-economic partners. In these capacities, Ifremer also provides public 11 vessels policy support for the deployment of national maritime policies and is a key player in the development of ‘blue INCLUDING 6 IFREMER SHIPS knowledge’. + 1 MANNED SUBMERSIBLE Headquarters + 2 REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLES 1625 route de Ste-Anne For the coming decade, in line with the sustainable deve- + 2 AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER CS 10070 - 29280 Plouzané lopment goals (SDGs) for the ocean, understanding and VEHICLES France +33 (0)2 98 22 40 40 forecasting the state of the ocean in 2100 is at the heart are run and operated by the French of Ifremer’s enterprise. Oceanographic Fleet www.ifremer.fr This document has been printed on paper from sustainably managed forests. MARINE SCIENCE IFREMER’S PARTNERS

RESEARCH, FROM Ifremer is a state-owned public industrial and commercial institute (EPIC), placed under the joint THE COAST supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry of the Environment. It TO THE DEEP SEA collaborates with Ifremer is made up of 23 research units organised into 4 scientific l the national government, its ministries and departments: their agencies; • Department of Biological Resources and the Environment, l • Department of Physical Resources and Deep-Sea Ecosystems, professionals, businesses and local govern- • Department of Oceanography and Ecosystem Dynamics, ments, etc.; • Department of Research Infrastructures and Information Systems. l scientists, engineers and technicians; l the general public.

IFREMER’S MISSIONS EXPERTISE AND INNOVATION RESEARCH THE FRENCH

• The study of marine ecosystems and the conditions Since its creation in 1984, Ifremer has pioneered state-of-the-art skills in many for the sustainable development of marine resources. areas: underwater systems, operational oceanography, biotechnology, mineral INFRASTRUCTURES AND OCEANOGRAPHIC • The observation, modelling and investigation of the and energy resources, etc. TESTING FACTILITIES FLEET functioning of coastal ecosystems and the physical ocean at various spatial scales. Given its knowledge and expertise, Ifremer provides public policy support. The The development of research methods and the production of Since 2018, Ifremer has been operating the French Oceano- French government regularly enlists Ifremer to help assess marine resources data rely on: graphic Fleet for the benefit of the whole scientific commu- • The exploration of the deep sea to determine the and the conditions of resource use: e.g. for the Water Framework Directive, the mechanisms behind the biodiversity found there and nity. This fleet is composed of Marine Strategy Framework Directive, public and animal health policy issues, the • research infrastructures and testing facilities (test tanks, me- the study of the natural processes that lead to the • four sea-going vessels (Pourquoi pas?, Thalassa, L’Atalante, Common Fisheries Policy, aquaculture, the national biodiversity strategy, etc. trology, assembly plants, computing platforms); formation of mineral and energy resources. Marion Dufresne), • five coastal vessels (L’Europe, Thalia, Haliotis, Téthys II, Côtes • The development of innovative infrastructures, ins- Ifremer also contributes to blue growth through its proactive policy of techno- • ocean observation infrastructures to collect data (ARGO floats, de la Manche), truments and high-tech equipment, as well as labo- logy and knowledge transfer, which fosters innovative developments in many French Oceanographic Fleet, satellites, etc.); • two vessels deployed overseas (Alis, Anthea), ratory experimental techniques. economic sectors. • five underwater vehicles (Victor 6000, HROV Ariane, Nautile, • digital infrastructures to use, compile and share databases. IdefX, AsterX), • and large instrumented platforms (e.g. marine seismic equipment).

35 years of innovation 1984 1988 2003 2007 2012 2017

1985 2005 1999 2015 Titanic. Development of a deep- New food. Development of the Food safety. The Rephy network Virus. Purification of herpes, Biotechnology. Acquisition of Flagship. Christening of the Ocean surveys. ARGO, the Pearls. Discovery of the mole- Exclusive Economic Zone. Supercomputer. Inauguration towed acoustic system that was process for making surimi. Opti- identifies a neurotoxin-produ- a virus that infects marine the whole genome sequence R/V Pourquoi pas?, an admiral global ocean observation pro- cular mechanisms governing France strengthens its mari- of Datarmor, a new computing used in 1985 to obtain a mosaic misation of a storage technique cing species that causes para- molluscs. A major step in de- of a deep-sea microorganism, ship of the Ifremer oceano- gramme, reaches its goal: an the formation of the Tahiti time sovereignty by extending infrastructure for processing of sonar images from the sea- that preserves the properties of lytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), termining the whole genome Pyrococcus abyssi, that lives in graphic fleet, shared with the array of 3000 profiling floats black pearl nacre that develops the limits of its continental marine data. floor where the wreckage of the the surimi fish proteins. a source of food poisoning in sequence of the virus. 100°C hydrothermal fluids. Pa- French Navy. distributed in all the oceans in the pearl oyster Margarita shelf by more than 500,000 km² Titanic lies at 3800 m depth. humans. ves the way to many biotech- across the world. margaritifera. as part of the Extraplac project nology applications. led by Ifremer.