Law of the Sea Convention and Living Resources
International Cooperation and Sustainability Issues Relating to Marine Life
On November 16, 1994, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS Convention) entered into force, but not for the United States. The LOS Convention was the culmination of more than 10 years of intense negotiation; however, the United States chose not to participate in the LOS Convention in the early 1980s without changes to provisions dealing with deep seabed mineral resources beyond national jurisdiction. After a 1994 agreement amended parts of the LOS Convention dealing with deep seabed mineral resources, the LOS Convention, Annexes, and Agreement package was formally submitted to the U.S. Senate on…
