Canadian Oceans Policy

This book deals with Canada's oceans management policies since the conclusion of the 1982 Convention of the Law of the Sea. That Convention set out a jurisdictional framework for the management of the world's oceans, but it did not provide states with precise guidance on all the issues that can arise. As a state with one of the world's longest coastlines, Canada was one of the principal beneficiaries under the 1982 Convention regime. A study of Canadian policy is particularly significant, as Canadian oceans management places in relief many of the difficult questions yet to be resolved.

The Sea Has Many Voices is the first Canadian book to examine oceans policy in the making. The contributors believe that Canadian oceans policy making to date has been reactive, susceptible to pressure from special interest groups, and lacking in continuity or consistency.

As climate change, resource overexploitation, and pollution leave ever more visible marks, ocean ecosystems, economies, and people are all affected. With coasts on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic, Canada faces a formidable challenge in building resilient, sustainable oceans and supporting the communities that rely on them. Sea Change reports on the OceanCanada Partnership, a multidisciplinary project to take stock of what we know about Canada’s oceans, construct possible scenarios for coastal regions, and create a national dialogue and vision. Three themes emerge from this impressive synthesis of social, cultural, economic, and environmental research: ocean change, access to ocean resources, and ocean governance. Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars and practitioners focus on finding solutions to rapid environmental and social transformation, outlining the implications for legislation and offering policy recommendations. Increasingly, civil society will have to advocate for oceans, and Sea Change will empower the voices of those who take up that task.

The sea change towards principled oceans governance / Donald R. Rothwell and David L. VanderZwaag -- Beyond the buzzwords : a perspective on integrated coastal and ocean management in Canada / Aldo Chircop and Larry Hildebrand -- Operationalizing integrated coastal and oceans management in Australia : the challenges / Veronica Sakell -- The application of compliance and enforcement strategies on Canada's Pacific coast / Francois Bailet, Janna Cumming, and Ted L. McDorman -- Integrated maritime enforcement and compliance in Australia / Sam Bateman. [et al.] -- Canada and the precautionary principle/approach in ocean and coastal management : wading and wandering in tricky currents / David L. VanderZwaag, Susanna D. Fuller, and Ransom A. Myers -- Australia and the precautionary principle : moving from international principles to domestic and local implementation / Lorne K. Kriwoken, Liza D. Fallon, and Donald R. Rothwell -- Marine ecosystem management : is the whole greater than the sum of the parts? / Bruce G. Hatcher and Roger H. Bradbury -- Ecosystem bill of rights / Richard J. Beamish and Chrys-Ellen M. Neville -- Community involvement in marine and coastal management in Australia and Canada / Marian Binkley. [et al.] -- Aboriginal title and oceans policy in Canada / Dianna Ginn -- Canada's seas and her first nations : a colonial paradigm revisited / Russ Jones -- Indigenous rights in the sea : the law and practice of native title in Australia / Geoff Clark -- Aboriginal peoples and ocean policy in Australia : an indigenous perspective / Rodney Dillon -- The challenge of international oceans governance : institutional, ethical, and conceptual dilemmas / Douglas M. Johnston.

'This book is recommended for anyone wanting to quickly get up to speed with oceans governance, bearing in mind at this stage it is an immature and quickly developing field. The strength of the book is that it is grounded in real-world examples from four case study countries and in this context at the very least exposes the reader to emergent oceans governance and policy issues. . . an excellent starting point for further analysis of oceans governance and sets up a research agenda for the future.' - Murray Patterson, Journal of Ecological Economics