Marine regions and the Law of the Sea

Abstract

There are a number of so-called natural regions in the oceans, such as areas delineated on the basis of oceanographic conditions and land-sea boundaries, which may define a semi-enclosed sea. Another natural region of importance is the large marine ecosystem, which has unique hydrographic regimes, submarine topography and trophically related populations of living marine organisms. The oceans also contain functional regions based on shipping patterns, commercial fisheries, and undersea minerals. The 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea established jurisdictional regions such as exclusive economic zones, territorial seas, and archipelagic waters. Reconciling the ‘natural’ regions with the ‘legal’ regions recognized by current international law, with a view toward effective ocean management, is a problem requiring a degree of international cooperation that may be difficult to achieve under some circumstances.