The Spanish Institute of Oceanology was created by Royal Decree in 1914. It is an autonomous Institution and it is under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and Science. The IEO is the research institution and adviser in relation to the fishing sectorial policy of the Government.
The IEO is dedicated to multidisciplinary studies of the sea and especially to the problems derived from the exploitation of resources and pollution. In this sense, the Institute tries to orient its research towards concrete answers to the public Administration in reference to the sea, to its rational use and its protection. Within their state competences, the IEO is the representative of the Spanish Government in organizations and oceanographic commissions of international scope.