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Swimming through a Sea of Sovereign States: A Look at the Whale's Dilemma

Swimming through a Sea of Sovereign States: A Look at the Whale's Dilemma INTRODUCTION Whales are "world travelers."1 For 50 million years2 they have roamed the earth's oceans and continue to do so today undaunted by boundaries recently created by humans. Lines establishing territorial seas and contiguous and economic zones do not appear on the ocean floor, nor are they detectable by cetacean sonar. These lines do not impede the whale's travels. Most species regularly cross national boundaries, and many migrate through international waters as part of their life history strategy. While migratory patterns of the different whale species vary, most typically move between summer feeding grounds in the cool, nutrient-rich waters of the polar regions and winter breeding grounds of the tropical and subtropical regions.3 Thus, whales often feed in waters under the jurisdiction of one state and breed in those under the jurisdiction of another. In addition many are found on the high seas, beyond national boundaries. Because of whales' highly migratory nature and global distribution, international cooperation is needed to effectively manage them. Unfortunately, in a world of sovereign states such cooperation has not always proven easy to attain. For centuries whales were managed as a res nullius resource, one consid- ered freely available to anyone who could http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Ocean Yearbook Online Brill

Swimming through a Sea of Sovereign States: A Look at the Whale's Dilemma

Ocean Yearbook Online , Volume 12 (1): 21 – Jan 1, 1996
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References (1)

Publisher
Brill
Copyright
Copyright © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
eISSN
2211-6001
DOI
10.1163/221160096X00058
Publisher site
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Abstract

INTRODUCTION Whales are "world travelers."1 For 50 million years2 they have roamed the earth's oceans and continue to do so today undaunted by boundaries recently created by humans. Lines establishing territorial seas and contiguous and economic zones do not appear on the ocean floor, nor are they detectable by cetacean sonar. These lines do not impede the whale's travels. Most species regularly cross national boundaries, and many migrate through international waters as part of their life history strategy. While migratory patterns of the different whale species vary, most typically move between summer feeding grounds in the cool, nutrient-rich waters of the polar regions and winter breeding grounds of the tropical and subtropical regions.3 Thus, whales often feed in waters under the jurisdiction of one state and breed in those under the jurisdiction of another. In addition many are found on the high seas, beyond national boundaries. Because of whales' highly migratory nature and global distribution, international cooperation is needed to effectively manage them. Unfortunately, in a world of sovereign states such cooperation has not always proven easy to attain. For centuries whales were managed as a res nullius resource, one consid- ered freely available to anyone who could

Journal

Ocean Yearbook Online – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 1996

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