An introduction to international law: international marine law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Human use of the marine environment began approximately 164,000 years ago (Marean et al., 2007). Since this time 6000-8000 distinct coastal indigenous groups have used the oceans as a means of transport, trade, and as a source of protein and materials (Hattendorf, 2007). To provide uninterrupted benefits from marine areas early cultures established practices to assign rights, restrict access, allocate resources and defend the goods and services provided by their coastal and marine resources. Compliance with these practices was realized through a combination of rules, spiritual beliefs, myth and experience.