Ocean Politics and Policy: A Reference Handbook (Contemporary World Issues)

A sweeping overview of the problems, politics, and policies of international and domestic management of the world's oceans.

The world ocean is one of the most important global resources. Without it most life on earth would not survive because the ocean provides temperature regulation and produces oxygen, among other vital functions. However, this life-sustaining resource faces dangerous threats from over fishing, industrial wastes, oil pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

Ocean Politics and Policy covers the major types of pollution, deep sea-bed mining, international jurisdictional disputes, and piracy, examining the underlying reasons for these problems and providing practical policy suggestions for reducing their impact. Special focus is placed on historical and contemporary ocean laws, from the concept of "freedom of the seas" to the 2001 Fishery Stock Agreement. Solving the problems facing the world ocean should be a high priority for the international community, and this book provides a starting place for this process.

• Provides a chronology of the development of ocean management

• Reproduces portions of documents along with important raw data on world fish catch trends and whale populations