The Exclusive Economic Zone: A Historical Perspective

The concept of the exclusive economic zone is an essential element of the "package" of compromises and trade-offs that constitutes the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea. It is a concept which has received rapid and widespread acceptance in state practice and is thus now considered by some to be part of customary international law. In this article the author traces the evolution of the concept of the exclusive economic zone from its origins to its final form in the Convention, to give an insight into the balance of legal, economic and political interest that was involved in the development of the final text.