Story: Law of the sea

Japanese tuna boats

Japanese tuna boats

At the 1974 Law of the Sea conference, New Zealand and Pacific nations argued for the right of all states to manage their high-seas fisheries. This principle was behind a case taken by New Zealand and Australia to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in 1999. They wanted to stop Japan carrying out experimental fishing of the seriously depleted southern blue-fin tuna. The tribunal decided it did not have jurisdiction, and Japanese vessels like this one, photographed in 2005, continued to fish for tuna using controversial techniques such as drift netting.

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Greenpeace International
Photograph by Lorette Dorreboom

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How to cite this page:

Bill Mansfield, 'Law of the sea - United Nations convention, 1982', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/6965/japanese-tuna-boats (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Bill Mansfield, published 12 Jun 2006