Presently Werner Ekau is the scientific director at Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), member of the Konsortium Deutsche Meeresforschung (KDM) strategy group “Biological Resources” as well as the ICES Working Group on Large Marine Ecosystem Program Best Practices. Werner is Director of the German Centre of the International Ocean Institute. He is active in two topics with focus on blue growth, the All AtlaNtic Cooperation for Ocean Research and innovation (AANChOR) and the South and Tropical Atlantic climate-based marine ecosystem prediction for sustainable management (TRIATLAS). He is coordinating the bilateral project TRAFFIC (Trophic Transfer Efficiency in the Benguela Upwelling Ecosystem), which strives for a deeper understanding of the impacts of climate-driven changes on Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) and their fisheries resources.