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VII I . BOUNDARY DEFINITION It can be anticipated that there w i l l be many problems in the def- initions of various zones of national influence or jurisdiction. These prob- lems w i l l not occur in the deep ocean but along the continental margins. The situation at present, from the legal standpoint, is extremely confused and is being discussed in various political arenas. Regardless of what decisions are made as to the type of regime or the extent of national or international admin- istrative control, there w i l l continue to be confusion if an exact, definable and reproducible boundary is not provided. This boundary w i l l either be defined from the shoreline or from some submerged physiographic feature. If the boundary, be it 3-mile, 6-mile, 9-mile, 12-mile or 200-mile, is to be based on shoreline features, i t is imperative that certain basic legal prin- ciples of shoreline definition be universally accepted. It is also neces- sary that specific physical features along the shoreline be identified. Once a universally acceptable set of principles has been adopted, there s t i l l remains a great deal of topographic, hydrographic, and cartographic activity in reducing these principles and surveys to a graphic form. Many countries are unable to handle the technology of this process. I f the boundary is to be defined by an isobath, be it 200 or 2500 meters in depth, i t w i l l be necessary to lay this line down on relatively large scale charts in order that i t serve as a recognizable and definitive boundary. This makes it imperative that the topography of the continental shelves be well known, particularly in the regions which include the crit ical isobaths. This leads to the conclusion that an important part of an IDOE may - 67 -
well be the mutually supporting surveys and associated cartography which w i l l lead to an acceptable delineation of relative national or international domains. Without these activities, and perhaps with them, there w i l l surely be conflict and controversy over the ownership or extent of admin- istrative influence in various areas of the world ocean. These projects should be undertaken on an integrated bilateral or multilateral basis and should be accompanied by appropriate policy level discussions as to the exact nature of the control to be exercised in the various boundary regions. - 68 -
