DRAWING LINES

摘要

When early modern humans went fishing on the oceans, they weren't much worried about where they could and could not go. Boundaries weren't an issue. Nations began to formally claim territorial waters in the 18th century. The first Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) was established in 1947 when Chile and Peru claimed 200 nautical miles of ocean around their coastline. As human activity upon the ocean has grown, spatial management has become vital for managing our interactions with other ocean users, the marine environment and its wildlife. We have varying forms of marine protected areas in coastal and-to a lesser degree-open ocean. Fishers may be subject to regulations on where and when they can fish. Extraction of fossil fuels and renewable energy developments are only allowed in pre-designated zones. Humans are good at drawing lines. However, the natural world in general and the ocean especially is not good at abiding bythem.