Introduction

The ICES Symposium entitled “Capelin–What Are They Good For? Biology, Management, and the Ecological Role of Capelin”, was held 23–27 July, 2001, in Reykjavík, Iceland. The co-conveners were Jim Carscadden, Canada, and Hjálmar Vilhjálmsson, Iceland, and 50 scientists from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States registered. In this introduction, a brief overview focusing on capelin biology, the role of capelin as a forage species and commercial capelin fisheries is presented. Most of the information is gleaned from studies on Atlantic stocks, reflecting the extensive research activities initiated during the 1970s to support management of the large commercial fisheries. The 44 symposium papers were grouped into five themes: biology and ecology, multispecies interactions, abundance estimation, management, and capelin as an experimental animal. There were 17 poster presentations. Four recommendations for future activities are listed.