The St. Lawrence Global Observatory was represented at the International Council for the Exploration of the sea (ICES) Annual Scientific Conference (ASC), in Halifax, September 22-26, 2008. The event was held in collaboration with the Bedford Institute of Oceanography.

As part of a theme session on "Environmental and fisheries data management, access, and integration", Mrs Joanne Hamel presented the results of DFO's recent Web development work in support of system interoperability in the context of the implementation of the SLGO. The Observatory governance model was also depicted as a key element fostering inter-institutional interoperability.

The conference was also an opportunity to present a scientific paper titled "Toward interoperability and cooperation for the sustainable management of the St. Lawrence ecosystem". The paper by Mrs Hamel, Mr Bernard Pelchat and Mr Alain Desmeules is available under Documentation at ogsl.ca/images/docs/pdf/ices-cm2008-r17.pdf.

The ICES ASC conference is a major event and the 2008 edition allowed participants access to several theme sessions including topics such as comparative ecosystem studies, climate changes, modelling, new technologies, conservation and health of the ecosystems.

For more information about ICES ASC, visit the Council web site at http://www.ices.dk/indexfla.asp.