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The oceans are on the verge of complete collapse, a fact found by several reputable reports: the decrease in biodiversity due to overfishing and invasive species, the chemical threats of global warming and pollution, and destructive and increasingly efficient fishing technology - - among other causes - - have been found to fundamentally alter the state of the oceans in a decidedly negative manner.
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Territorial sea is a region up to but not exceeding 12 nautical miles from a baseline. Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) are areas not exceeding 200 nautical miles from the baseline in which the coastal State has exclusive mining rights to natural resources. While coastal States maintain sovereignty of territorial sea, foreign vessels are permitted "innocent passage" without prejudice.
UN Organizations
The UN has several branches to conduct research, compose law, enforce treaties, and settle disputes regarding the Law of the Sea and subsequent treaties relating to the governance of the oceans, coasts, and marine life.
The International Seabed Authority
The International Seabed Authority is a technically autonomous organization created to fulfill Part XI of the UN Law of the Sea treaty. The Authority controls the extraction of minerals and other natural resources from the seabed in the Area, defined in Part I, Article I of the Law of the Sea as the seabed beyond the "national jurisdiction," which we understand as outside EEZs. The Authority is comprised of five main governing bodies, including the Assembly, the Council, the Legal and Technical Commission, the Finance Commission, and the Secretariat.
The Assembly
"The Assembly of the Authority, its 'supreme organ' with the power to establish general policies, consists of all ISA members. This membership is composed of all parties to the Law of the Sea Convention, numbering 153 at the end of February 2007" (ISA, 2007).
The Council
"As 'the executive organ of the Authority', the Council establishes specific policies in conformity with the Convention and the general policies set by the Assembly. It supervises and coordinates implementation of the elaborate regime established by the Convention to promote and regulate exploration for and exploitation of deep-sea minerals by States, corporations and other entities. Under this system, no such activity may legally take place until contracts have been signed between each interested entity and the Authority. The Council's task is to draw up the terms of contracts, approve contract applications, oversee implementation of the contracts, and establish environmental and other standards" (ISA, 2007).
The Secretariat
The Secretary-General implements Authority policies, external relations, protocol matters, liaison and representation of the Authority.
UN Organizations
The UN has several branches to conduct research, compose law, enforce treaties, and settle disputes regarding the Law of the Sea and subsequent treaties relating to the governance of the oceans, coasts, and marine life.
UN-OCEANS encompasses most UN operations relating to the oceans. After the UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, Agenda 21 - "an international programme of action for global sustainable development for the 21st century" - was adopted (UN-OCEANS, 2005). Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 calls for protection of the oceans, resulting in the formation of the Sub-committee on Oceans and Coastal Areas of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC SOCA) in 1993. Due to the extensive number of agencies and committees already addressing the issue of the oceans and the need for a "new inter-agency coordinating mechanism," in September 2003, "the United Nations High-Level Committee on Programmes approved the creation of an Oceans and Coastal Areas Network (subsequently named 'UN-Oceans') to build on SOCA" (UN-OCEANS, 2005). As stated by their webpage, UN-OCEANS has been established to:
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Duke University. Mining vs. Farming: The International State of the Fisheries. Retrieved 17 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.biology.duke.edu/bio217/2002/fish/state.html.
(2007). International Seabed Authority. Retrieved 21 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://www.isa.org.jm/en/about
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National Geographic News. (15 May 2003). Big-Fish Stocks Fall 90 Percent Since 1950, Study Says. Retrieved 21 November 2007, from the World Wide Web: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0515_030515_fishdecline.html.
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