Ocean governance · law
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
Definition
The exclusive economic zone is the maritime area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea, extending no more than 200 nautical miles from the baselines, as established by Part V (Articles 55–58) of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Within it the coastal state has sovereign rights to explore, exploit, conserve and manage living and non-living resources of the waters, seabed and subsoil, and jurisdiction over artificial islands, marine scientific research and protection of the marine environment. Other states retain freedoms of navigation, overflight and the laying of submarine cables and pipelines.
References
Articles 55–58, 200 nm limit, sovereign rights and other states' freedoms
trade-glossary usage of the term
Overview
What it means
The EEZ gives coastal states resource rights without full sovereignty: it is a functional zone balancing coastal-state economic interests against international passage rights. Together EEZs place roughly a third of the ocean — including most productive fisheries and offshore energy areas — under national resource jurisdiction, leaving the high seas beyond.
How it is used
Used in fisheries management, offshore wind and hydrocarbon licensing, marine spatial planning, maritime boundary delimitation and negotiations over biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ).
Why it matters
Nearly every ocean-sustainability question — overfishing, offshore renewables, deep-sea minerals, marine protection — is allocated by who holds EEZ rights, making the zone the basic unit of ocean governance.