Sjæklen 2017

125 Summary Collections and research The Danish Museum Act sets out the duty of state and state- recognised museums to collect, record, preserve, research and communicate. Through these five activities the museums demonstrate the relevance of the nation’s cultural and natural heritage, preserve it and develop its use. This article describes the work of the Fisheries and Maritime Museum in the first four of these areas, which collectively come under the heading of col- lections and research. Collections are the core of every museum’s activities. The Fisher- ies and Maritime Museum is a state-recognised museum in the field of cultural and natural history, and the museum’s collection is always available to researchers. The collection is also an im- portant asset for the museum’s exhibitions, teaching and other communication activities. The collections and the work associ- ated with them breathe life and authenticity into the museum’s communication and set the Fisheries and Maritime Museum apart frommany other attractions – our guests experience Dan- ish natural and cultural history at close hand. For more than ten years before the opening of the museum in 1968 its employees were busy collecting objects for the creation of a national fisheries museum. The finished museum was also home to an aquarium section that had staff who were experts in natural history. From the very beginning, the museum’s work thus covered not only the cultural history of fisheries and ship- ping but also marine biology, with special emphasis on the mar- ine life of the North Sea and the Wadden Sea. During the 50 years of the museum’s existence, its collection has constantly been added to with objects, records, photos, specimens and other forms of documentation from the relevant fields. Throughout the years, the museum’s research activities have been an integral part of its work. It has collaborated with nu- merous national and international organisations in the fields of cultural and natural history. Since 1994, research in cultural history has been undertaken in partnership initially with Aarhus University and later with the University of Southern Denmark. Most recently, in 2016, the museum launched a partnership with the University of Southern Denmark and the Danish Mu- seum of Industry with the aim of setting up a Centre for Mari- time and Industrial History. In every area – from fisheries, shipping off West Jutland and offshore industries to the culture and natural history of the Wadden Sea and the rich marine life of the Danish waters – the museum has extensive knowledge which provides the basis for research and for communication to interested professionals, the general public and schoolchildren of all ages. It is the col- lections of the Fisheries and Maritime Museum and the work with them that enable the museum to fulfil its mission: “to link together the natural and cultural history of man and the sea in interesting research projects, captivating stories, exhibitions and presentations and thus help to increase the understanding of guests and society”.