Straddling stocks and highly migratory stocks in Latin American practice and legislation: New perspectives in light of current international negotiations

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Abstract
When coastal states extended their jurisdiction up to 200 miles, distant water fleets concentrated their activities more intensively in high seas adjacent to exclusive economic zones. The main problems related to fishing in these high seas areas concern straddling fish stocks and highly migratory species. As a result, coastal states now assert their right and special interest to take part in the conservation of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory species that occur within their exclusive economic zones. Otherwise, they say, the sovereignty of these states over the 200‐mile zone would be illusory. In the development of the law of the sea, Latin American states have always based their claims mainly on two principles: the need to preserve living resources and the nexus between sea and land. These states continue to play an important role in the consolidation of the new trends. They have maintained the same principles since the 1940s and on those grounds assert their influence through unilateral acts, intervention in regional fora, and participation in the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks.