Knowra Exclusive economic zone Exclusive economic zone An exclusive economic zone is a maritime area beyond and adjacent to a state's territorial sea, where that state has sovereign rights over natural resources and specified jurisdiction.
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea : The international treaty establishing rules for maritime zones, navigation, resource rights, and ocean governance. Its Part V defines the zone's maximum breadth and the rights exercised within it.
Exclusive fishing zone : A maritime area where a coastal state reserves specified fishing rights, without necessarily claiming the full rights of an exclusive economic zone. Fishing zones can resemble exclusive economic zones but have a narrower legal scope.
High seas : Parts of the ocean beyond national jurisdiction, where states enjoy freedoms subject to international law. Unlike the exclusive economic zone, the high seas are not subject to a coastal state's resource rights.
Cod Wars : A series of twentieth-century disputes between Iceland and the United Kingdom over fishing rights in the North Atlantic. They illustrate the political conflict that can accompany expanding coastal fishing zones.
Territorial sea : The coastal sea belt, extending up to 12 nautical miles from baselines, where a state exercises sovereignty. The exclusive economic zone begins beyond this zone.
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing : Fishing that violates applicable rules, goes unreported, or occurs outside effective management systems. Enforcement in distant zones is a major challenge for coastal states.
International waters : An informal expression commonly used for marine areas outside a state's territorial waters. The phrase is often applied imprecisely to zones where coastal states still hold resource rights.
South China Sea dispute : A set of overlapping territorial and maritime claims among states bordering the South China Sea. Competing maritime claims create overlapping exclusive economic zones and resource disputes.
Baseline (law of the sea) : The legal line from which maritime zones, including the territorial sea and exclusive economic zone, are measured. The zone's outer limit is measured from the same baseline used for the territorial sea.
Marine protected area : A defined marine region managed to conserve ecosystems, species, or cultural resources. States can establish protected areas in waters under their jurisdiction, including their zones.
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