Institut océanographique


The Institut océanographique is an ocean education organization based in Monaco. The institute manages two ocean museums and lobbies globally for the preservation of the oceans' ecology.

History

The Institut océanographique was founded in 1906 by Albert I, Prince of Monaco.
In 1957, Jacques Cousteau was appointed director of the Institut océanographique. In 1961, the Institut océanographique reached an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency to relocate the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity in Monaco.
In 1998, the Institut océanographique organized the second International Aquariology Congress. The European Union of Aquarium Curators was created during this event.
The institute implemented the "Monaco Blue Initiative", a global initiative focused on deep sea biodiversity and large marine species, and backed by UNESCO. In 2016, hundreds of cubic meters of archives belonging to the Institut were found in the Schœlcher campus of the University of the French West Indies. In 2019, the Institut océanographique invested 5 million euros in the opening of a care center for marine species, especially sick or injured turtles.

Locations