ABSTRACT
Today's oceans are relatively young geologic formations that are constantly undergoing changes in their physical size and dimension. While new oceanic bedrock is formed along oceanic ridges, it is simultaneously crushed in subduction zones and remelted into magma. More recent changes such as human-induced global warming have become threats to current stability in the global ocean environment. In November 2008, Healthy Reefs for Healthy People, an international, multi-institutional effort tracking the health of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, released an Eco-Health Report Card for the reef, its first comprehensive health assessment. Governments, nongovernmental organizations and international groups are making a concerted effort to protect the world's oceans. The overarching international treaty that provides a structure of law and procedures for oceans is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). UNCLOS was amended in 1982 and again in 1995 with a series of regulatory measures titled the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish.
