GLOBAL OVERVIEW OF STRADDLING AND HIGHLY MIGRATORY FISH STOCKS - THE NONSUSTAINABLE NATURE OF HIGH SEAS FISHERIES

This article presents a global overview of the efforts undertaken by c oastal states, distant water fishing nations, and regional organizatio ns to manage high seas fisheries following extension of jurisdiction a nd the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In partic ular, the article examines the management and conservation of those st ocks defined under Article 63 of the convention as ''straddling'' fish stocks, occurring both within areas of national jurisdiction and in t he high seas area beyond and adjacent to the exclusive economic zone; and ''highly migratory species,'' defined to include tuna and tuna-lik e species, whose migration patterns cover vast expanses of ocean space . The inability of coastal and distant water fishing states to coopera te in the management and conservation of these resources has led to un sustainable fishing and collapse of many stocks. As a result the Unite d Nations has convened an international Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks.