ABSTRACT
Over time, oceans and seas have been and continue to be an important source of natural resources such as minerals, hydrocarbons and fisheries. But in recent decades they have also become a source of genetic resources and biological components for research and development in the field of modern biotechnology and related sciences and disciplines (i.e. the “life sciences”). Bioprospecting is a tool that allows the identification, exploitation and use of these components in food, cosmetics, remediation and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Active components for the treatment of diseases that originate from algae, jellyfish and multiple marine organisms have caught the attention of researchers. '’The seabed and extreme deep-water environments also offer invaluable ecosystems with species potentially useful in different fields and that are just beginning to be explored. In addition to the scientific dimension of these endeavors, international public policies and law are trying to catch up and provide reasonable frameworks to regulate these activities.
