LIMITATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH SEAS FISHERIES:ANALYSIS OF THE LEGAL REGIME FOR HIGH SEAS FISHERIES

For the purpose of this paper, high seas fisheries are defined as fishing beyond 200 nautical miles zones. Freedom of fishing on the high seas is regarded as one of the basic rules of international law of the sea, but subject to other rules of international law. Based on the fact that some coastal states try to exercise their jurisdiction over high seas fisheries contiguous to their EEZs and taking into account the outcome of the main fisheries conferences convened in 1992, the developing trend of the legal regime for high seas fisheries is analysed and the possible forms of controlling high seas fisheries are predicted. In the light of the reality for high seas fisheries of China, the main problems and matters to which attention should be paid are discussed with some suggestions.