Oceans Law Course Description

Prerequisite courses:

Prerequisite for: 

Instructor: Professor Cameron Jefferies and Professor Casey Caines

Course credit: 3

Term: Spring 2026

Method of presentation: Seminar and Field School

Course Dates: May 4-7, 2026 Seminar Dates on Campus

May 9-16, 2026 Field School Dates at Bamfield

METHOD OF EVALUATION

• Participation (marked on a pass/fail basis)

• Quiz on Oceans Law principles and themes

• Research paper (topic to be selected, with my approval, during our time at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre). This paper will be 4,000-6,000 words in length with additional details provided before the course commences.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The world’s oceans cover more than 70% of the planet and are essential for moving goods and information, providing food and resources, maintaining the Earth’s life-sustaining biological processes, and are a vital source of scientific research. Canada borders three oceans and has the longest coastline of any State. Canada has a vested interest in the ordered development and sustainable utilization of the oceans.

The international law of the sea (LOS) includes the body of laws (both customary and treaty-based) that govern our many uses of the ocean. The LOS strives for peaceful dispute resolution and operates to balance competing uses of the ocean whilst simultaneously guarding against over-exploitation. Chief among these legal instruments is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (‘UNCLOS’), which was negotiated by more than 160 States between 1972-1982. UNCLOS opened for signature in 1982 and entered into force in 1994. Canada signed UNCLOS in 1982 but did not ratify it until 2003. UNCLOS is appropriately described as a ‘Constitution for the Oceans’ since it comprehensively articulates maritime zones, legal regimes, and rights and responsibilities for States Parties. Canadian implementation of UNCLOS occurs primarily through the federal Oceans Act and its associated regulations, policies and strategies.

This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of the LOS, with particular attention being paid to past and present issues that are important to Canada. The first portion of the course consists of assigned readings and hybrid in person/on-line lectures held on campus. The second portion of the course is held at on Vancouver Island, B.C. at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre. The Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre is Canada’s premiere marine biology research station and an oceanside campus operated joinly by western Canadian universities. There, we will participate in the Centre’s Field Trip programme, which offers exposure to the intersection of law and science and will focus on local LOS case studies. Anticipated activities include: visiting a Marine Protected Area; viewing species at risk; learning basic marine science (in both the lab and field settings); and participating in a temperate rain forest ecology walk. 

REQUIRED TEXTS (IF ANY)

• Yoshifumi Tanaka, The International Law of the Sea, 4th ed. (2023, Cambridge University Press)

• The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (treaty text)