Examining the international and contemporary issues in ocean use management, this book places current problems such as marine pollution, overfishing, and oil drilling in their proper historical context. Not since the publication of Hugo Grotius' The Freedom of the Seas in 1609 has the area of ocean law been explored so in-depth, while recent technological advances and population increases mean that the oceans are no longer so vast that individuals or nations can exploit them without consideration of their future uses.

Overfishing, migrating fish stocks and fish wars, oil drilling, deep sea mining, and marine pollution, and other individual use issues are dealt with thoroughly. Throughout the book author Lawrence Juda promotes the necessity for international cooperation in optimizing ocean management. With emphasis placed on the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea and the resulting agreements, this book presents a uniquely broad view of ocean use crucial to law and policy makers, diplomats, and scholars.