Oceans Policy as a Sustainable Tool for the Regulation of the Marine Environment

The world's oceans provide the shipping industry with an unrivalled opportunity to bypass the clutches of regulators and thereby gain an economic advantage. The goal of maritime regulators is to close the net; as a result, in the past decades the regulatory regime has become a central factor in the economics of the shipping market. This report examines oceans policy as a sustainable tool for the regulation of the marine environment; employing a descriptive research methodology. The findings reveal that while the goals of a country's ocean policy may include the promotion of ecologically sustainable development and job creation as well as promotion of public awareness and understanding. The objective of any national oceans policy is to provide a strategic framework for the planning, management and ecologically sustainable development of a nation's fisheries, shipping, tourism, petroleum, and gas and seabed resources while ensuring the conservation of the marine environment. This report also submits that it is not the systems, but the way they are applied and enforced which needs constant improvement. This is because oceans policy has a role in balancing national interest and ensuring internationally that the nation does not lose more than it gains by new measures. Accordingly, the report substantially subscribed to the claims that the Australia's oceans policy demonstrates "world leadership by implementing a coherent, strategic planning and management framework for dealing with complex issues confronting the long-term future of the oceans of the world".