Marine security

Clive Schofield

All countries face a myriad of both national and international laws, treaties and conventions relating to and assessing their relationship and rights to the sea and sea bed. Not only is this web of legislation complex, but there is also an increasingly diverse range of actors and authorities active in the marine environment, multiple and unclear jurisdictional limits, various co-management arrangements, and no single agency managing offshore rights and boundaries creating overlapping and competing interests. All of these facets of management need to be related to marine policy. Such a policy must also deal with increasing responsibilities of ensuring safety within claimed maritime zones, issues of illegal fishing and ensuring that a county is kept secure from the risk of terrorism. Hence this component of research aims to analyse the ability of utilising a marine cadastre in resolving maritime security and policy issues.