At a time when the health of the ocean is under threat – from pollution, overfishing and all kinds of excesses – initiatives to improve knowledge and management of our blue planet are multiplying.

Each year, the Oceanographic Institute, Albert I, Prince of Monaco Foundation honours the great names of the marine world who, through their commitment and their work, contribute to making the Ocean known, loved and protected.

As the 2020 ceremony has been cancelled due to health restrictions caused by the Covid-19 epidemic, the 2020 and 2021 winners will receive their Albert I Grande Médaille together on Monday November 22 at the Maison de l’Océan in Paris.

At a time when the health of the oceans is under threat from pollution, overfishing and excesses of all kinds, initiatives to improve knowledge and management of our blue planet are multiplying. Every year, the Institut océanographique, Fondation Albert I, Prince of Monaco, honors the great names of the marine world who, through their commitment and their work, contribute to making the Ocean known, loved and protected.

The Albert I Grand Medal, created in 1948, is the most prestigious prize awarded by the Oceanographic Institute. Each year, it honors the most eminent international players in ocean science and mediation. The prize takes the form of a gilded bronze medal, embossed with the profile of Prince Albert I, pioneer of modern oceanography and founder of the Institute.

Each year, the Scientific Council of the Oceanographic Institute proposes a selection of personalities. These proposals, which must be substantiated, are then put to a vote by the Board of Directors.

The new exhibition at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco offers you an immersive experience at the heart of the Arctic and the Antarctic. Mélanie Laurent, an actress committed to action for the environment, is the ambassador of this unique two-year-long exhibition.

Interest in these lands of extremes has been enshrined in Monaco’s DNA for over a century and began at the end of the 19th century with Prince Albert I, explorer, visionary and founder of the Oceanographic Museum. It continues today with HSH Prince Albert II, the only Head of State to have rallied the two poles.

The balance of Planet Earth is dependent on the good health of these extreme regions: a cause which has not escaped the attention of actress Mélanie Laurent, a fervent protector of the environment and ambassador of the exhibition: “Through this exhibition, each one of us is invited to become not only a privileged observer of the unbelievable beauty of the polar worlds, but also an informed witness of their great fragility. For the future of the poles is also our future and that of generations to come” she stresses.

The “Polar Mission” exhibition offers an immersive experience into the heart of the Arctic and the Antarctic where the major issues concerning these lands of extremes, remote and yet vital for the global climate, are decrypted. Objects and documents, digital content side by side with complementary immersive devices offer a 360° experience. The grand voyage can begin!

This seminar takes place in the context of the exhibition “Northbound. Connected by the Sea” by the Museum Kunst der Westküste (MKdW) at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, with the support of Prof. Dr. mult. h.c. Frederik Paulsen, founder of the MKdW. The two institutions are devoting a seminar to the North Sea and the Arctic Ocean, in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, on 11 May 2022 from 2.30 pm to 6 pm.

The North Sea is a marginal sea (or epicontinental sea) covering almost 575,000 km2 and linking many countries, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Together with its close neighbour, the Arctic Ocean, to which it opens up via the northern route (hence the title of the exhibition ‘Northbound’), the North Sea is rich in extraordinary resources. It is also one of the world’s most active regions for the marine industry, and a particularly dynamic area for leisure and tourism. The North Sea, which is subject to extreme anthropogenic pressures, is also recognised by all seafarers as a rough, unpredictable, and dangerous sea, and remains a challenging sea in many respects. The specificities of the North Sea and the near Arctic call for solutions and best practices to combine economic use of their resources with sustainable protection of their marine biodiversity.

Une expérience à vivre et à partager en famille.

Afin de développer l’écomobilité, TER SNCF et le Musée océanographique de Monaco renouvellent leur partenariat, encourageant les familles à favoriser le transport en train pour se rendre au Musée.

Ce partenariat prend la forme d’un forfait* « TER + Musée océanographique » à 77€, s’adressant aux familles composées de 2 adultes et de 2 enfants de moins de 16 ans.

Les billets, valables 1 jour, permettent ainsi un trajet aller-retour au départ des gares des Alpes-Maritimes à destination de Monaco ainsi qu’un accès au Musée océanographique.

The Museum Kunst der Westküste, located in Alkersum on the North Sea island of Föhr/Germany, is presenting the Northbound. Connected by the Sea exhibition at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco from 19 March to 19 June 2022. It brings together 24 paintings and photographs: historical and contemporary works which illustrate the role of the North Sea and the importance of preserving its coastal and marine areas. 
The Northbound exhibition, scheduled as part of the Monaco Ocean Week, will be complemented by a scientific symposium entitled ‘The North Sea, a Sea of Solutions’, on 11 May 2022.

The Mediterranean is home to two species of seahorses: the short-nosed seahorse, Hippocampus hippocampus, and the spotted seahorse, Hippocampus guttulatus. These sea horses live in posidonia or eelgrass beds as well as in algae or rocks, from the surface to more than 50 meters deep.

In order to examine the situation of seahorse populations in Monegasque waters more closely, the Prince Albert II Foundation has joined forces with the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, which has opened the Monegasque Marine Species Care Centre in spring 2019 as an extension of the Oceanographic Museum.

More information in the press release to download.

After 5 weeks of closure, the Oceanographic Museum will be open to the public again from Saturday 5 December.

The Oceanographic Museum is pleased to reopen its doors. The French, who have recently benefited from the measures taken by their government to ease their confinement, will be able to join the Monegasques in enjoying a moment of escape and reconnection with the ocean before the Christmas holidays.

In this respect, the Museum was touched by the testimonies of Monegasques who were impatiently waiting to set foot on this emblematic site again.

More information in the press release to download.

After the emergency, the daily difficulties and the pressure accumulated since the beginning of the bad weather, these last few months have put the inhabitants of the stricken valleys of the Alpes-Maritimes to a severe test. The Oceanographic Institute of Monaco has therefore decided to dedicate the 2021 edition of “Oceano for all” to the children of the Roya Valley, offering them a moment of escape and discovery at the heart of the marine world. The Foundation is appealing for donations to help fund this project.

The Institute is appealing for individual donations in order to reinforce the means made available to the children for their participation in the event (transport, overnight stays, various supplies…). These donations will also make it possible to extend the experience by giving as many classes as possible the opportunity to spend an extra day in the Principality of Monaco and to take advantage of a programme of activities and events. In the longer term, and depending on the funds raised, “Oceano for all” could be extended to the Vésubie and Tinée valleys.

For more details and to participate in this initiative, visit oceano.org (www.oceano.org/mobiliser/oceano-pour-tous/)

More information in the press release to download.

On the initiative of the Princely Government and the Oceanographic Institute, some forty users and enthusiasts of the sea in the Principality of Monaco will be taking part in a meeting tomorrow, Tuesday 8 June (World Ocean Day), to discuss the observation and protection of marine fauna.

On the occasion of this second edition, professionals, administrations and individuals are once again mobilizing in favor of marine biodiversity. As part of a participatory science approach, the meeting aims to engage and encourage “users of the sea” to report any sightings of turtles and marine mammals. The data collected will thus make it possible to identify the species present in Monegasque waters, to better understand their behaviour and to contribute to the study and protection of ecosystems.

More information in the press release to download.

On 16 June 2021, the Monaco Oceanographic Museum will host the final of the second edition of the business creation competition “The Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge” (MOPC) organised by Monaco Impact, the International University of Monaco, the Oceanographic Institute and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. 

The objective of this challenge ? To give students the opportunity to use their professional skills, creativity and commitment in the service of a preserved natural ocean.

In spite of the particular context of this year 2021, the competition which has the theme theme ” When the Circular Economy Saves the Ocean ” managed to gather 37 managed to gather 37 teams from different countries and representing all types of schools (schools of communication, business, engineering…).

On June 16, the finalists (three of the competing teams will represent the “Students” category and three others the “Young Entrepreneurs” category ) will be judged by a panel of entrepreneurs, investors and ombudsmen who work to protect the oceans.

More information in the press release to download.

On Wednesday 16th June, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Oceanographic Institute released the initial conclusions of a ground-breaking study conducted on seahorse populations in Monegasque waters.

In the Mediterranean, seahorse species are considered by the IUCN as “near-threatened”, which means that natural populations are decreasing and could become extinct if no corrective action is taken. In order to examine the situation of seahorse populations in Monaco’s territorial waters in greater detail, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation has joined forces with the Oceanographic Institute and its Monegasque Marine Species Care Centre (CMSEM), as well as the BIOTOPE consultancy and the European seahorse specialist Patrick Louisy.

The objectives of the study are to :

✓ Increase knowledge of Monaco’s seahorses and their habitats

✓ Determine the best options for protecting seahorses.

✓ Initiate the most relevant conservation actions.

BETTER KNOWLEDGE OF POPULATIONS, TO BETTER PROTECT THEM

160 hours of diving were carried out between the end of June and mid-September 2020, thanks to the collaboration of numerous volunteer divers from the Centre d’Exploration Sous-Marine de Monaco, enabling data to be acquired on the presence of seahorses in Monaco, to gain a better understanding of their habitats and to identify the sites with the best characteristics for their development.

More information in the press release to download.