Ocean Governance
The term "ocean governance" is understood to mean "the purposeful effort to steer, control or manage sectors or facets of society". Within governance, it incorporates the influence of non-state actors, i.e. stakeholders, NGOs and so forth, therefore the state is not the only acting
power in policy making. However, in terms of the ocean, this is a complex issue because it is a commons that is not ‘owned’ by any single nation/state. The consequences of this has resulted in humankind abusing the oceans’ resources, by treating them as shared resources, but not taking equal and collective responsibilities in caring for them. This means that rules on the conduct of the ocean can only be implemented through international agreements. Therefore, there is a need for some form of governance to maintain the ocean for its various uses, preferably in a sustainable manner. As an industry we know just how difficult are effective international agreements...what do these issues mean to us? For us?