During 15–16 September 1994, the Scientific Council held a Symposium on 'Impact of Anomalous Oceanographic Conditions at the Beginning of the 1990s in the Northwest Atlantic on the Distribution and Behaviour of Marine Life', with M. Sinclair (Canada) and M. Stein (Republic of Germany) as co-conveners. Through ICNAF and NAFO times, the scientific community had expressed the interests and values of conducting decadal reviews of the environmental conditions in the northwest Atlantic. Two such publications were completed for the decades of the 1960s (ICNAF Special Publication, No. 8 – Symposium on Environmental Conditions in the Northwest Atlantic, 1960–69, Jul 1972, 254 p.), and the 1970s (NAFO Scientific Council Studies, No. 5 – Symposium papers on Environmental Conditions in the Northwest Atlantic, 1970–79 Dec 1982, 114 p.). The September 1994 Symposium addressed the environmental issues in recent years, particularly relating them to marine life.

During 5-7 September 1990, the Scientific Council held a Special Session on "Management Under Uncertainties Related to Biology and Assessments, with Case Studies on Some North Atlantic Fisheries" at the Lord Nelson Hotel, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, with J. Shepherd (EEC-UK) as convener. Keen interest in the contributions and associated discussions prompted the Scientific Council to consider publishing all contributions in a single volume of NAFO Scientific Council Studies. Of the 22 presentations made at the Session, 16 papers and 5 extended abstracts were accepted for publication in this issue of Studies after review by the convener and the editor. The contributions are printed in the order they were presented at the Session.