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88-451: These entities encompass a multifaceted array of functions, including the systematic gathering, analysis, and dissemination of pertinent data. Additionally, they serve as a pivotal hub for the coordination of fisheries management endeavors through collaborative schemes and mechanisms. Furthermore, these entities assume the role of a technical and policy forum, wherein deliberations transpire and decisions are rendered concerning matters germane to

176-571: A Tuath . The North Sea has provided waterway access for commerce and conquest. Many areas have access to the North Sea because of its long coastline and the European rivers that empty it. There is little documentary evidence concerning the North Sea before the Roman conquest of Britain in 43 CE, however, archaeological evidence reveals the diffusion of cultures and technologies from across or along

264-738: A challenge to their dominance of the North Sea until the 20th century. Tensions in the North Sea were again heightened in 1904 by the Dogger Bank incident . During the Russo-Japanese War , several ships of the Russian Baltic Fleet, which was on its way to the Far East, mistook British fishing boats for Japanese ships and fired on them, and then upon each other, near the Dogger Bank, nearly causing Britain to enter

352-446: A governing body of Member States and the latter does not. A regional fishery management organisation (RFMO) is a type of RFB entrusted with sustainable management of fish stocks in a particular region, or of highly migratory species. RFMOs coalesce through the collaboration of nations demonstrating pronounced fishing interests within specific geographic domains. These encompass coastal states whose maritime territories encompass at least

440-459: A limited subset of these bodies has been expressly established to preside over and regulate the administration of inland waters and rivers. RFABs craft recommendations and deliver expert guidance to member nations. Their principal objective is to formulate strategies that promote the conscientious exploitation of marine resources within defined geographic domains. This endeavor contributes to the progression of sustainable practices and policies within

528-580: A maximum depth of 725 metres (2,379 ft). The Dogger Bank , a vast moraine , or accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris, rises to a mere 15 to 30 m (50 to 100 ft) below the surface. This feature has produced the finest fishing location of the North Sea. The Long Forties and the Broad Fourteens are large areas with roughly uniform depth in fathoms (forty fathoms and fourteen fathoms or 73 and 26 m or 240 and 85 ft deep, respectively). These great banks and others make

616-420: A segment of a formally acknowledged fish population, alongside "distant water fishing nations" (DWFN) [1] , whose fleets venture to regions where a fish stock is situated. These entities are designed to be inclusive, extending accessibility to nations whose fishing fleets have historically engaged in activities within those delineated areas or exhibit a vested interest in participating in such endeavors. Integral to

704-717: A vast merchant marine, a large fishing fleet, powerful navy, and sophisticated financial markets made the Dutch the ascendant power in the North Sea, to be challenged by an ambitious England. This rivalry led to the first three Anglo-Dutch Wars between 1652 and 1673, which ended with Dutch victories. After the Glorious Revolution in 1688, the Dutch prince William ascended to the English throne. With unified leadership, commercial, military, and political power began to shift from Amsterdam to London. The British did not face

792-620: Is 17 °C (63 °F) in the summer and 6 °C (43 °F) in the winter. The average temperatures have been trending higher since 1988, which has been attributed to climate change . Air temperatures in January range on average between 0 and 4 °C (32 and 39 °F) and in July between 13 and 18 °C (55 and 64 °F). The winter months see frequent gales and storms. The salinity averages between 34 and 35 grams per litre (129 and 132 g/US gal) of water. The salinity has

880-526: Is also home to marine mammals. Common seals , grey seals , and harbour porpoises can be found along the coasts, at marine installations, and on islands. The very northern North Sea islands such as the Shetland Islands are occasionally home to a larger variety of pinnipeds including bearded , harp , hooded and ringed seals , and even walrus . North Sea cetaceans include various porpoise , dolphin and whale species. Plant species in

968-606: Is exercised instead directly by the contracting parties, an option limited mostly to cases where there are only two actors in a basin. An example is the Baltic Sea where, due to reduction in 2004 in the number of actors in the basin from six to just two, the formerly existing general RMFO (the International Baltic Sea Fisheries Commission) was dissolved in 2007, while according to the new general regional fishery management arrangement,

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1056-699: Is recorded to have killed more than 100,000 people. In 1362, the Second Marcellus Flood , also known as the Grote Manndrenke , hit the entire southern coast of the North Sea. Chronicles of the time again record more than 100,000 deaths, large parts of the coast were lost permanently to the sea, including the now legendary lost city of Rungholt . In the 20th century, the North Sea flood of 1953 flooded several nations' coasts and cost more than 2,000 lives. 315 citizens of Hamburg died in

1144-525: The Battle of Heligoland Bight , the Battle of the Dogger Bank , and the Battle of Jutland . World War I also brought the first extensive use of submarine warfare , and a number of submarine actions occurred in the North Sea. The Second World War also saw action in the North Sea, though it was restricted more to aircraft reconnaissance and action by fighter/bomber aircraft, submarines and smaller vessels such as minesweepers and torpedo boats . After

1232-582: The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CAMLR), have been elevated to global standards, significantly influencing the trajectory of international fisheries law. Exemplifying this influence is the conceptualization of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), leading to

1320-592: The English Channel was triggered by the earthquake, which in turn caused a tsunami. The tsunami triggered by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake reached Holland, although the waves had lost their destructive power. The largest earthquake ever recorded in the United Kingdom was the 1931 Dogger Bank earthquake , which measured 6.1 on the Richter magnitude scale and caused a small tsunami that flooded parts of

1408-626: The Frisian Islands . The North Sea receives freshwater from a number of European continental watersheds, as well as the British Isles . A large part of the European drainage basin empties into the North Sea, including water from the Baltic Sea . The largest and most important rivers flowing into the North Sea are the Elbe and the Rhine – Meuse . Around 185 million people live in

1496-517: The Last Glacial Maximum when the sea began to flood the European continental shelf. In 2006 a bone fragment was found while drilling for oil in the North Sea. Analysis indicated that it was a Plateosaurus from 199 to 216 million years ago. This was the deepest dinosaur fossil ever found and the first find for Norway. Copepods and other zooplankton are plentiful in the North Sea. These tiny organisms are crucial elements of

1584-965: The Latin names Mare Germanicum and Oceanus Germanicus , and these persisted in use until the First World War. Other common names in use for long periods were the Latin terms Mare Frisicum , as well as the English equivalent, "Frisian Sea". The modern names of the sea in the other local languages are: Danish : Vesterhavet , lit.   'West Sea' [ˈvestɐˌhɛˀvð̩] or Nordsøen [ˈnoɐ̯ˌsøˀn̩] , Dutch : Noordzee , Dutch Low Saxon : Noordzee , French : Mer du Nord , West Frisian : Noardsee , German : Nordsee , Low German : Noordsee , North Frisian : Weestsiie , lit.   'West Sea', Swedish : Nordsjön , Bokmål : Nordsjøen [ˈnûːrˌʂøːn] , Nynorsk : Nordsjøen , Scots : North Sea and Scottish Gaelic : An Cuan

1672-581: The North Pacific and Bering Sea for many years. Also, staff have been stationed at on-shore fish processing plants to sample catches, remove otoliths to determine the age of the fish, and many other research activities. The commission holds a regularly Annual Meetings and occasionally Special Meetings as necessary. Its offices were located on the campus of the University of Washington until November 2010. The IPHC has since moved its offices to

1760-529: The North Sea flood of 1962 . Though rare, the North Sea has been the site of a number of historically documented tsunamis . The Storegga Slides were a series of underwater landslides, in which a piece of the Norwegian continental shelf slid into the Norwegian Sea. The immense landslips occurred between 8150 BCE and 6000 BCE, and caused a tsunami up to 20 metres (66 ft) high that swept through

1848-753: The Pacific waters of its member states. It was founded by an international treaty concluded on March 2, 1923. The original treaty has been revised three times (in 1953, 1976, and 1979). The 1979 amendment clarified the role of the IPHC in the management of the fishery through the North Pacific Halibut Act of 1982. It has carried out many activities including the use of chartered commercial fishing vessels to undertake bottom trawls and long-lining for sampling fish stocks, banding fish, recording water temperatures using bathythermographs , etc., in

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1936-879: The Shetland Islands). On the North. From the North point (Fethaland Point) of the Mainland of the Shetland Islands, across to Graveland Ness (60°39'N) in the Island of Yell , through Yell to Gloup Ness (1°04'W) and across to Spoo Ness (60°45'N) in Unst island, through Unst to Herma Ness (60°51'N), on to the SW point of the Rumblings and to Muckle Flugga ( 60°51′N 0°53′W  /  60.850°N 0.883°W  / 60.850; -0.883 ) all these being included in

2024-496: The catchment area of the rivers discharging into the North Sea encompassing some highly industrialized areas. For the most part, the sea lies on the European continental shelf with a mean depth of 90 metres (300 ft). The only exception is the Norwegian trench , which extends parallel to the Norwegian shoreline from Oslo to an area north of Bergen . It is between 20 and 30 kilometres (12 and 19 mi) wide and has

2112-463: The food chain supporting many species of fish. Over 230 species of fish live in the North Sea. Cod , haddock , whiting , saithe , plaice , sole , mackerel , herring , pouting , sprat , and sandeel are all very common and are fished commercially. Due to the various depths of the North Sea trenches and differences in salinity, temperature, and water movement, some fish such as blue-mouth redfish and rabbitfish reside only in small areas of

2200-535: The littoral is low and marshy. The east coast and south-east of the North Sea ( Wadden Sea ) have coastlines that are mainly sandy and straight owing to longshore drift , particularly along Belgium and Denmark. The southern coastal areas were originally flood plains and swampy land. In areas especially vulnerable to storm surges, people settled behind elevated levees and on natural areas of high ground such as spits and geestland . As early as 500 BC, people were constructing artificial dwelling hills higher than

2288-741: The 13th century the Hanseatic League , though centred on the Baltic Sea , started to control most of the trade through important members and outposts on the North Sea. The League lost its dominance in the 16th century, as neighbouring states took control of former Hanseatic cities and outposts. Their internal conflict prevented effective cooperation and defence. As the League lost control of its maritime cities, new trade routes emerged that provided Europe with Asian, American, and African goods. The 17th century Dutch Golden Age saw Dutch maritime power at its zenith. Important overseas colonies,

2376-605: The 1958 High Seas Fishing Convention did not assign a prominent role to regional fisheries bodies; instead, it relied on the special interests of coastal States to ensure the productivity of living resources in high seas areas adjacent to their territorial sea. However, provisions within the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) addressing transboundary fish stocks and high-seas fishing, coupled with

2464-647: The British coast. Shallow epicontinental seas like the current North Sea have since long existed on the European continental shelf . The rifting that formed the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, from about 150  million years ago , caused tectonic uplift in the British Isles. Since then, a shallow sea has almost continuously existed between

2552-568: The Middle Ages through the 15th century, the northern European coastal ports exported domestic goods, dyes, linen, salt, metal goods and wine. The Scandinavian and Baltic areas shipped grain, fish, naval necessities, and timber. In turn, the North Sea countries imported high-grade cloths, spices, and fruits from the Mediterranean region. Commerce during this era was mainly conducted by maritime trade due to underdeveloped roadways. In

2640-588: The Middle Ages to the modern era. It was also important globally through the power northern Europeans projected worldwide during much of the Middle Ages and into the modern era. The North Sea was the centre of the Vikings' rise . The Hanseatic League , the Dutch Republic , and the British each sought to gain command of the North Sea and access to the world's markets and resources. As Germany's only outlet to

2728-486: The Netherlands. The North Sea Floods of 1953 and 1962 were the impetus for further raising of the dikes as well as the shortening of the coast line so as to present as little surface area as possible to the punishment of the sea and the storms. Currently, 27% of the Netherlands is below sea level protected by dikes, dunes, and beach flats. Coastal management today consists of several levels. The dike slope reduces

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2816-926: The North Sea are home to nature reserves including the Ythan Estuary , Fowlsheugh Nature Preserve, and Farne Islands in the UK and the Wadden Sea National Parks in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. These locations provide breeding habitat for dozens of bird species. Tens of millions of birds make use of the North Sea for breeding, feeding, or migratory stopovers every year. Populations of black-legged kittiwakes , Atlantic puffins , northern gannets , northern fulmars , and species of petrels , seaducks , loons (divers), cormorants , gulls , auks , and terns , and many other seabirds make these coasts popular for birdwatching . The North Sea

2904-674: The North Sea area; thence up the meridian of 0°53' West to the parallel of 61°00' North and eastward along this parallel to the coast of Norway, the whole of Viking Bank is thus included in the North Sea. On the East. The Western limit of the Skagerrak [A line joining Hanstholm ( 57°07′N 8°36′E  /  57.117°N 8.600°E  / 57.117; 8.600 ) and the Naze ( Lindesnes , 58°N 7°E  /  58°N 7°E  / 58; 7 )]. The average temperature

2992-523: The North Sea during the Migration Period . They made successive invasions of the island from what is now the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany. The Viking Age began in 793 with the attack on Lindisfarne ; for the next quarter-millennium, the Vikings ruled the North Sea. In their superior longships , they raided, traded, and established colonies and outposts along the coasts of the sea. From

3080-613: The North Sea include species of wrack , among them bladder wrack , knotted wrack , and serrated wrack. Algae , macroalgal, and kelp , such as oarweed and laminaria hyperboria, and species of maerl are found as well. Eelgrass , formerly common in the entirety of the Wadden Sea, was nearly wiped out in the 20th century by a disease. Similarly, sea grass used to coat huge tracts of ocean floor, but have been damaged by trawling and dredging have diminished its habitat and prevented its return. Invasive Japanese seaweed has spread along

3168-559: The North Sea particularly hazardous to navigate, which has been alleviated by the implementation of satellite navigation systems . The Devil's Hole lies 320 kilometres (200 mi) east of Dundee , Scotland. The feature is a series of asymmetrical trenches between 20 and 30 kilometres (12 and 19 mi) long, one and two kilometres (0.6 and 1.2 mi) wide and up to 230 metres (750 ft) deep. Other areas which are less deep are Cleaver Bank , Fisher Bank and Noordhinder Bank . The International Hydrographic Organization defines

3256-500: The North Sea to Great Britain and Scandinavia and reliance by some prehistoric cultures on fishing, whaling, and seaborne trade on the North Sea. The Romans established organised ports in Britain, which increased shipping and began sustained trade the diffusion of cultures and technologies from across or along the North Sea to Great Britain and Scandinavia and reliance by some prehistoric cultures on fishing, whaling, and seaborne trade on

3344-416: The North Sea until the 20th century, when numbers declined due to overfishing . Other factors like the introduction of non-indigenous species , industrial and agricultural pollution , trawling and dredging , human-induced eutrophication , construction on coastal breeding and feeding grounds, sand and gravel extraction, offshore construction , and heavy shipping traffic have also contributed to

3432-590: The North Sea, having the greatest effect on Scotland and the Faeroe Islands . The Dover Straits earthquake of 1580 is among the first recorded earthquakes in the North Sea measuring between 5.6 and 5.9 on the Richter scale. This event caused extensive damage in Calais both through its tremors and possibly triggered a tsunami , though this has never been confirmed. The theory is a vast underwater landslide in

3520-399: The North Sea. Crustaceans are also commonly found throughout the sea. Norway lobster , deep-water prawns , and brown shrimp are all commercially fished, but other species of lobster , shrimp , oyster , mussels and clams all live in the North Sea. Recently non-indigenous species have become established including the Pacific oyster and Atlantic jackknife clam . The coasts of

3608-517: The North Sea. The Romans established organised ports in Britain, which increased shipping and began sustained trade and many Scandinavian tribes participated in raids and wars against the Romans and Roman coinage and manufacturing were important trade goods. When the Romans abandoned Britain in 410, the Germanic Angles , Frisians , Saxons , and Jutes began the next great migration across

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3696-500: The North Sea. The wave continues to travel northward in the Atlantic Ocean, and once past the northern tip of Great Britain, the Kelvin wave turns east and south and once again enters the North Sea. The eastern and western coasts of the North Sea are jagged, formed by glaciers during the ice ages . The coastlines along the southernmost part are covered with the remains of deposited glacial sediment. The Norwegian mountains plunge into

3784-558: The Orkney Islands through the mid-16th century, as both Sable Island and Orkney Islands lay within their normal range. Grey whales also resided in the North Sea but were driven to extinction in the Atlantic in the 17th century Other species have dramatically declined in population, though they are still found. North Atlantic right whales , sturgeon , shad , rays , skates , salmon , and other species were common in

3872-472: The RMFOs subsequently enforce. In some regions where there are only a few actors and they are willing to cooperate on a non-confrontational basis, they may choose to establish a regional fishery management arrangement (RFMA) exercised directly by them rather than to form a more expensive incorporated RFMO. The difference between an RFMO and an RFMA is that the former has established a Secretariat that operates under

3960-551: The coasts of the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Denmark and low-lying areas of eastern England particularly around The Wash and Fens . Storm surges are caused by changes in barometric pressure combined with strong wind created wave action . The first recorded storm tide flood was the Julianenflut , on 17 February 1164. In its wake, the Jadebusen , (a bay on the coast of Germany), began to form. A storm tide in 1228

4048-502: The conservation and management of tuna and tuna-like species. It is noteworthy that three of the generic RFMOs incorporate mandates that encompass requirements related to aquaculture. Hence, the provided categorization captures the classification of the three distinct types of RFMOs: Certain early instances of RFMO were initially structured with a scope confined solely to target stocks. Nevertheless, numerous of these entities have subsequently revised their foundational charters to encompass

4136-543: The conservation, management, development, and judicious utilization of fisheries resources. Certain Regional Fishery Bodies (RFBs) wield the authority to enact regulatory measures upon their member states. Consequently, an RFB is classified as one of the following two types: RFABs issue non-binding recommendations only, but they are usually organised as more independent, impartial expert bodies, expected to be guided by science and sustainability rather than

4224-586: The decline. For example, a resident orca pod was lost in the 1960s, presumably due to the peak in PCB pollution in this time period. The OSPAR commission manages the OSPAR convention to counteract the harmful effects of human activity on wildlife in the North Sea, preserve endangered species , and provide environmental protection. All North Sea border states are signatories of the MARPOL 73/78 Accords, which preserve

4312-487: The dynamic nature of international fisheries law, where the evolution of these organizations reflects the steadfast commitment of the global community to the sustainable management and conservation of marine living resources. The preponderance of regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) has been established with the overarching objective of conserving and managing marine waterways, encompassing both high seas and national waters. Conversely, inland waterways fall under

4400-687: The ecosystem approach to fisheries and the precautionary approach. These amendments are aimed at guaranteeing the safeguarding of populations, species, ecosystems, and habitats linked to fisheries, concurrently permitting the sustainable utilization of living marine resources. Recently established RFMOs, exemplified by SEAFO, SIOFA, and SPRFMO, have inherently incorporated analogous principles into their foundational documents from their inception. This wide diversity of mandates and areas of application, and also effective implementation of regulations, opens up opportunities to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing vessels, though there are also opinions that

4488-555: The energy of the incoming sea, so that the dike itself does not receive the full impact. Dikes that lie directly on the sea are especially reinforced. The dikes have, over the years, been repeatedly raised, sometimes up to 9 metres (30 ft) and have been made flatter to better reduce wave erosion. Where the dunes are sufficient to protect the land behind them from the sea, these dunes are planted with beach grass ( Ammophila arenaria ) to protect them from erosion by wind, water, and foot traffic. Storm surges threaten, in particular,

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4576-542: The fact that the latter does not institute an international organization, thereby omitting the creation of a Secretariat. Additionally, an Arrangement may adopt a non-legally binding character. The European Union (EU) is a signatory to the Agreement to Prevent Unregulated High Seas Fisheries in the Central Arctic Ocean. The EU's active involvement in this agreement serves as a testament to its dedication to

4664-732: The field of fisheries management. Multiple demands have been made in different international fora, including COFI and the United Nations General Assembly, to improve RFABs. The size, target regions, and activities of RFABs vary widely. One RFAB is solely concerned with marine mammals, while the others deal with more general fisheries and fisheries-related concerns. The majority of the RFABs have been formed to monitor marine living resources in regional waters, but eight have been established to manage inland waters and rivers. Many RFABs also deal with aquaculture concerns. Hence,

4752-467: The fishery management tasks have been taken over directly by the two extant actors in the basin, namely the EU and Russia. Nevertheless, the sea has remained under management by a tuna RMFO (ICCAT) and two other specialised RFMOs dedicated to salmon (NASCO) and whaling (IWC). The primary distinctions between the constitutive instrument of a Regional Fishery Management Organization (RFMO) and an Arrangement lie in

4840-741: The foundation for subsequent developments, leading to the formation of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) and the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) shortly after World War II . Simultaneously, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was founded in 1948, with a primary focus on marine mammals, although it does not fall under the classification of an RFMO within this context. In contrast to these developments,

4928-531: The highest variability where there is fresh water inflow, such as at the Rhine and Elbe estuaries, the Baltic Sea exit and along the coast of Norway. The main pattern to the flow of water in the North Sea is an anti-clockwise rotation along the edges. The North Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean receiving the majority of ocean current from the northwest opening, and a lesser portion of warm current from

5016-531: The immediate political and economic interests of its members. RFMOs are in turn more politicised, but their decisions are binding for the members and subject to enforcement. Therefore, the usually environment-focused recommendations issued by the relatively independent RFABs often constitute the scientific input to the RMFOs, where they are subject to political negotiations between the members, to adjust them to social and economic reality and to translate them into politically acceptable and tenable binding decisions, which

5104-471: The implementation of the IPOA-IUU and the PSM Agreement . Despite the acknowledgment of RFMO as the primary mechanism for regional fisheries regulation, challenges persist in achieving comprehensive high-seas coverage that adheres to the minimum standards delineated in the Fish Stocks Agreement. Ongoing efforts are directed toward the modernization of existing fisheries bodies and the establishment of new RFMO to effectively address these gaps. This underscores

5192-435: The legal framework governing regional cooperation and underscored the pivotal role of RFMOs as instrumental mechanisms for states to fulfill their obligations in safeguarding and overseeing fish populations. Central to its provisions is the stipulation that exclusive access to the pertinent fishery resources is granted solely to countries that are members of the relevant organization or those that explicitly commit to implementing

5280-720: The limits of the North Sea as follows: On the Southwest. A line joining the Phare de Walde (Walde Lighthouse, in France, 50°59'37"N, 1°54'53"E) and Leathercoat Point (England, 51°10'01.4"N 1°24'07.8"). northeast of Dover. On the Northwest. From Dunnet Head (58°40'20"N, 3°22'30"W) in Scotland to Tor Ness (58°47'N) in the Island of Hoy , thence through this island to the Kame of Hoy (58°55'N) on to Breck Ness on Mainland (58°58'N) through this island to Costa Head (3°14'W) and Inga Ness (59'17'N) in Westray through Westray, to Bow Head, across to Mull Head (North point of Papa Westray ) and on to Seal Skerry (North point of North Ronaldsay ) and thence to Horse Island (South point of

5368-431: The marine environment by preventing pollution from ships. Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands also have a trilateral agreement for the protection of the Wadden Sea , or mudflats , which run along the coasts of the three countries on the southern edge of the North Sea. The North Sea has had various names throughout history. One of the earliest recorded names was Septentrionalis Oceanus , or "Northern Ocean", which

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5456-489: The north it is bordered by the Shetland Islands , and connects with the Norwegian Sea , which is a marginal sea in the Arctic Ocean . The North Sea is more than 970 kilometres (600 mi) long and 580 kilometres (360 mi) wide, with an area of 750,000 square kilometres (290,000 sq mi) and a volume of 54,000 cubic kilometres (13,000 cu mi). Around the edges of the North Sea are sizeable islands and archipelagos , including Shetland , Orkney , and

5544-425: The ocean, the North Sea was strategically important through both world wars. The coast has diverse geology and geography. In the north, deep fjords and sheer cliffs mark much of its Norwegian and Scottish coastlines respectively, whereas in the south, the coast consists mainly of sandy beaches, estuaries of long rivers and wide mudflats . Due to the dense population, heavy industrialisation , and intense use of

5632-413: The organization's prescribed procedures. Currently, RFMOs are recognized as the principal institutions in the domain of international fisheries law. This acknowledgment is based not only on the geographical distribution of numerous fish stocks but also on proactive measures initiated within these organizations. Innovations within RFMO, such as the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) management outlined in

5720-534: The paradigm of fisheries management, RFMOs assume a paramount and indispensable position within the realm of international fisheries law—a specialized domain within international law dedicated to the conservation, management, and/or development of marine capture fisheries. This legal framework comprises substantive norms encompassing rights, duties, and objectives, substantive fisheries standards including catch limits, and institutional rules and structures delineating mandates and decision-making procedures. Positioned within

5808-475: The periodic review and evaluation of member compliance, thereby substantiating their pivotal role in fostering the sustainable governance of fisheries resources. The genesis of international fisheries law can be traced back to the late 19th century when North Sea coastal States implemented multilateral regulations to govern fishing activities at sea. During this historical period, the United States unsuccessfully attempted to establish coastal State jurisdiction for

5896-419: The prerogative to establish a diverse array of rules governing fishery management, deploying strategic tools such as catch limits (quota), technical measures, spatial and/or temporal restrictions, and overseeing monitoring, control, and surveillance activities to ensure rigorous adherence to these regulations. Informed by the scientific counsel provided by dedicated scientific bodies, RFMOs systematically engage in

5984-434: The prevailing flood levels. It was only around the beginning of the High Middle Ages , in 1200 AD, that inhabitants began to connect single ring dikes into a dike line along the entire coast, thereby turning amphibious regions between the land and the sea into permanent solid ground. The modern form of the dikes supplemented by overflow and lateral diversion channels, began to appear in the 17th and 18th centuries, built in

6072-441: The promotion of sustainable fisheries management at the international level. A regional fishery advisory body (RFAB) serves as a pivotal entity fostering collaboration and coordination among member states, aimed at advancing the sustainable utilization of living aquatic resources. Its primary objective lies in the surveillance and oversight of marine living resources within the respective confines of national waterways. Nonetheless,

6160-420: The protection of fur seals in high seas areas adjacent to its territorial sea. An essential milestone in the early development of this legal framework was the establishment of the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC) in 1924, considered an early manifestation of a Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) before the formalization of this terminology. These initial multilateral initiatives laid

6248-400: The provided categorization captures the classification of the twenty-five most important RFABs: North Sea Download coordinates as: The North Sea lies between Great Britain , Denmark , Norway , Germany , the Netherlands , Belgium and France . An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf , it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in

6336-433: The purview of a solitary RFMO. Two principal categories characterize RFMOs: generic RFMOs, entrusted with the conservation and management of live marine resources or fisheries resources at large within their respective areas of competence, and species-specific RFMOs, dedicated to the conservation of particular stocks or species. Notably, within the latter classification, a substantive subset comprises Tuna RFMOs, responsible for

6424-415: The purview of public international law, international fisheries law can be construed as a subset of the broader field of international maritime law. Significance of RFMOs emanates from the vested authority they wield in promulgating internationally legally binding measures about the comprehensive conservation and management of fisheries, spanning both fishing operations and associated activities. RFMOs exercise

6512-516: The sea and the area surrounding it, various environmental issues affect the sea's ecosystems. Adverse environmental issues – commonly including overfishing , industrial and agricultural runoff , dredging , and dumping, among others – have led to several efforts to prevent degradation and to safeguard long-term economic benefits. The North Sea is bounded by the Orkney Islands and east coast of Great Britain to

6600-469: The sea creating deep fjords and archipelagos . South of Stavanger, the coast softens, the islands become fewer. The eastern Scottish coast is similar, though less severe than Norway. From north east of England , the cliffs become lower and are composed of less resistant moraine , which erodes more easily, so that the coasts have more rounded contours. In the Netherlands, Belgium and in East Anglia

6688-413: The shores of the sea clogging harbours and inlets and has become a nuisance. Due to the heavy human populations and high level of industrialization along its shores, the wildlife of the North Sea has suffered from pollution, overhunting, and overfishing. Flamingos and pelicans were once found along the southern shores of the North Sea, but became extinct over the second millennium. Walruses frequented

6776-471: The smaller opening at the English Channel. These tidal currents leave along the Norwegian coast. Surface and deep water currents may move in different directions. Low salinity surface coastal waters move offshore, and deeper, denser high salinity waters move inshore. The North Sea located on the continental shelf has different waves from those in deep ocean water. The wave speeds are diminished and

6864-674: The south and the Norwegian Sea in the north. It is more than 970 kilometres (600 mi) long and 580 kilometres (360 mi) wide, covering 570,000 square kilometres (220,000 sq mi). It hosts key north European shipping lanes and is a major fishery . The coast is a popular destination for recreation and tourism in bordering countries, and a rich source of energy resources, including wind and wave power . The North Sea has featured prominently in geopolitical and military affairs, particularly in Northern Europe , from

6952-598: The subsequent Fish Stocks Agreement, emphasized a more significant role for cooperation through subregional and regional organizations, commonly referred to as RFMO. These agreements underscored the importance of regional collaboration in the effective management of high-seas fisheries. The principal global treaty about Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) is the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA) of 1995, which came into effect in 2001. This accord significantly enhanced

7040-403: The system is ineffective. Arrangements represent collaborative agreements among nations or entities to administer fish stocks within specific regions, particularly addressing straddling or highly migratory fish stocks. A regional fishery management arrangement denotes an international fishery agreement that refrains from establishing a formal regional fishery body, while the fishery management

7128-825: The uplands of the Fennoscandian Shield and the British Isles. This precursor of the current North Sea has grown and shrunk with the rise and fall of the eustatic sea level during geologic time. Sometimes it was connected with other shallow seas, such as the sea above the Paris Basin to the south-west, the Paratethys Sea to the south-east, or the Tethys Ocean to the south. During the Late Cretaceous, about 85  million years ago , all of modern mainland Europe except for Scandinavia

7216-568: The war on the side of Japan. During the First World War , Great Britain's Grand Fleet and Germany's Kaiserliche Marine faced each other in the North Sea, which became the main theatre of the war for surface action. Britain's larger fleet and North Sea Mine Barrage were able to establish an effective blockade for most of the war, which restricted the Central Powers ' access to many crucial resources. Major battles included

7304-480: The war, hundreds of thousands of tons of chemical weapons were disposed of by being dumped in the North Sea. International Pacific Halibut Commission The International Pacific Halibut Commission ( IPHC ) is an International Fisheries Organization, having Canada and the United States as its members, responsible for the management of stocks of Pacific halibut or Hippoglossus stenolepis within

7392-406: The wave amplitudes are increased. In the North Sea there are two amphidromic systems and a third incomplete amphidromic system. In the North Sea the average tide difference in wave amplitude is between zero and eight metres (26 ft). The Kelvin tide of the Atlantic Ocean is a semidiurnal wave that travels northward. Some of the energy from this wave travels through the English Channel into

7480-572: The west and the northern and central European mainland to the east and south, including Norway , Denmark , Germany , the Netherlands , Belgium , and France . In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover , the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat , narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively. In

7568-532: Was a scattering of islands. By the Early Oligocene , 34 to 28 million years ago , the emergence of Western and Central Europe had almost completely separated the North Sea from the Tethys Ocean, which gradually shrank to become the Mediterranean as Southern Europe and South West Asia became dry land. The North Sea was cut off from the English Channel by a narrow land bridge until that

7656-566: Was breached by at least two catastrophic floods between 450,000 and 180,000 years ago. Since the start of the Quaternary period about 2.6  million years ago , the eustatic sea level has fallen during each glacial period and then risen again. Every time the ice sheet reached its greatest extent, the North Sea became almost completely dry, the dry landmass being known as Doggerland , whose northern regions were themselves known to have been glaciated. The present-day coastline formed after

7744-632: Was cited by Pliny . He also noted that the Cimbri called it Morimarusa – "Dead Sea". The name "North Sea" probably came into English, however, via the Dutch Noordzee , who named it thus either in contrast with the Zuiderzee ("South Sea"), located south of Frisia , or because the sea is generally to the north of the Netherlands. Before the adoption of "North Sea", the names used in English were "German Sea" or "German Ocean", referred to as

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