This book is the first comprehensive examination of state practice relating to enforcement by non-flag states of the high seas conservation and management measures adopted by Regional Fisheries Organisations. It demonstrates that an exception is emerging in customary international law to the rule of the primacy of flag state jurisdiction in the high seas fisheries context.

This book investigates competing constructions of areas beyond national jurisdiction, and their role in the creation and articulations of legal principles, providing a broader perspective on the ongoing negotiation at the UN on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.

The concept of a fishing entity is a new category of fishing actors, separate from that of states, in the international law of the sea. The emergence of this new category provides a significant development towards a more flexible application of regulations regarding usage of the sea. A fishing entity owns advanced technology and fishing skills, and, as such, has an important role to play in global and regional conservation and management of fishery resources. Despite this, it is defined as being distinct from a state in the relevant legal documents, resulting in unclear circumstances involving certain global and regional agreements which usually apply to the latter. This ambiguity is particularly prevalent in legal procedures on the high seas when the sovereignty of a state comes into question, such as boarding and inspection. This book provides a detailed definition of the role of the fishing entity in the international law of the sea, and its obligations and rights in high seas fishery enforcements.

Conventions covering the law of the sea contain provisions on compensation for wrongful interferences with navigation, though they are rarely applied. This book analyses all relevant compensation provisions and compares them to the general law of state responsibility. The author discusses such issues as the responsibility of international organizations, liability for lawful conduct, and several and joint liability in public international law.

The principal aim of this book is to address the international legal questions arising from the 'right of visit on the high seas' in the twenty-first century. This right is considered the most significant exception to the fundamental principle of the freedom of the high seas (the freedom, in peacetime, to remain free of interference by ships of another flag). It is this freedom that has been challenged by a recent significant increase in interceptions to counter the threats of international terrorism and WMD proliferation, or to suppress transnational organised crime at sea, particularly the trafficking of narcotics and smuggling of migrants. The author questions whether the principle of non-interference has been so significantly curtailed as to have lost its relevance in the contemporary legal order of the oceans. The book begins with an historical and theoretical examination of the framework underlying interception. This historical survey informs the remainder of the work, which then looks at the legal framework of the right of visit, contemporary challenges to the traditional right, interference on the high seas for the maintenance of international peace and security, interferences to maintain the 'bon usage' of the oceans (navigation and fishing), piracy j'ure gentium'and current counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, the problems posed by illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, interdiction operations to counter drug and people trafficking, and recent interception operations in the Mediterranean Sea organised by FRONTEX.

This three-volume Manual on International Maritime Law presents a systematic analysis of the history and contemporary development of international maritime law by leading contributors from across the world. Prepared in cooperation with the International Maritime Law Institute, the International Maritime Organization's research and training institute, this a uniquely comprehensive study of this fundamental area of international law. Volume I: The Law of the Sea addresses the major issues which arise in the law of the sea. It provides a detailed understanding of the historical development of the law of the sea; the role of the International Maritime Organization; the law surrounding maritime zones; the legal regime of islands; the international sea-bed area; the legal regime governing marine scientific research; the rights and obligations of land-locked and geographically disadvantaged states; the legal regime of Arctic and Antarctic; and the settlements of disputes. This volume also considers the ways in which human rights and the law of the sea interact. The forthcoming Volume II will address shipping law; Volume III will provide analysis of marine environmental law and maritime security law. The full three-volume Manual will set out the entirety of international maritime law, re-stating and re-examining its fundamental principles, how it is enacted, and the issues that are shaping its future. It will be a superlative resource for those working with or studying this area of law.