Making Laws on the High Seas

23 Jan 2012

Kristina Gjerde studies the law of the high seas – the 64 percent of our ocean that isn't protected by any national law at all. Her presentation shows the hidden worlds that Gjerde and other lawyers are working to protect from trawling and trash-dumping, through smart policy-making and a healthy dose of PR.

[Resource Embedded:136201]


Related Reading

S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) logo

UNCLOS and its Limitations as the Foundation for a Regional Maritime Security Regime
This paper discusses key limitations of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); particularly the use of territorial sea baselines, navigational regimes, exclusive economic zones, and other issues covered by the convention, such as piracy, hot pursuit and the responsibilities of flag states. The paper further concludes that uncertainty in the law of the sea is likely to grow and that state practice in East Asia, under the influence of domestic politics and regional tensions, may continue to diverge from more traditional views of this type of law.

external pageUN Convention on the High Seas

This international treaty, one of four agreed upon at the first UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, was created to codify the rules of international law relating to the high seas. It entered into force in 1962.

external pageUN Convention of the Law of the Sea

This UN Convention provides a regulatory framework for the use of the world’s seas and oceans, inter alia to ensure the conservation and equitable usage of marine resources. It entered into force in 1994.

external pageThe International Legal Regime of the High Seas

This paper, prepared by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, provides a unique and valuable analysis of the international legal regime of the high seas, as well as options for cooperation for the establishment of marine protected areas.

external pageWorld Ocean Public Trust: High Seas Fisheries After Grotius – Towards a New Ocean Ethos?

This paper illustrates how the international law duty to conserve marine life, and protect and preserve the marine environment of the high seas, is in a precarious state. It further evaluates the concept of a World Ocean Public Trust and its feasibility in light of international law of the sea regimes.

JavaScript has been disabled in your browser