The United States and Canada are salt water neighbors on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. Despite the general closeness of the political, economic, and social relationship, the two States have approached their offshore areas from different perspectives. Canada has long supported expansion of exclusive national control over its adjacent offshore; whereas the United States has been concerned with the balance between national authority and international navigation rights. Canada has tended to view maritime disputes with the United States as local matters; whereas the United States has te ... More

The United States and Canada are salt water neighbors on the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans. Despite the general closeness of the political, economic, and social relationship, the two States have approached their offshore areas from different perspectives. Canada has long supported expansion of exclusive national control over its adjacent offshore; whereas the United States has been concerned with the balance between national authority and international navigation rights. Canada has tended to view maritime disputes with the United States as local matters; whereas the United States has tended to see the disputes with Canada in global terms. This book examines both the international ocean law disagreements that exist between the United States and Canada respecting maritime boundaries, fisheries, and navigation rights (e.g., the Northwest Passage), and the numerous cooperative bilateral arrangements that have prevented these disputes from being significant causes of friction between the neighbors.