STRENGTHENING THE LAW OF THE SEA - THE NEW AGREEMENT ON STRADDLING FISH STOCKS AND HIGHLY MIGRATORY FISH STOCKS

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea establishes a general framework for the conservation and management of all living m arine resources This general framework has not, however, prevented the precipitous decline of several key fish stocks, a decline that has, i n turn, threatened the stability of the law of the sea. Now, the Unite d Nations has produced a new treaty setting forth more specific rules to govern fish stocks that cross the 200-mile line, i.e., the line tha t separates the exclusive economic zones of coastal states from the hi gh seas. This article reviews the salient aspects of the new treaty, a s well as its prospects for stemming the decline of fishery resources and for strengthening the law of the sea.