Stephenson Ocean Security Project Stephenson Ocean Security ProjectStephenson Ocean Security Project Stephenson Ocean Security Project
  • Spotlights
  • Commentary
  • About

Search result for

Featured Commentary

Distant-water Fishing along China’s Maritime Silk Road

By Whitley Saumweber and Ty Loft
Published July 31, 2020

China’s burgeoning network of fishing bases, and the opacity of the bilateral fishing agreements they spring from, therefore raise three related sets of concerns.

Commentary

To Share Or Not to Share? Biological Security Risks for Marine Genetic Resources on the High Seas

By Sabrina Kim and Whitley Saumweber
Published April 30, 2020

Scientific advances have made genetic data more valuable and available than ever, but broad accessibility to potentially dangerous compounds can be risky. UN delegates negotiating a High Seas Treaty should weigh any proposal to widely disseminate novel genetic information against the realities of twenty-first century biological security concerns.

Commentary

Are We Moving toward an Ocean Data Dystopia?

By Ty Loft and Whitley Saumweber
Published April 22, 2020

The ocean data revolution can help states improve offshore governance. But policymakers should consider how ownership over ocean data distributes power, so that seafaring superpowers, such as China and Russia, do not exploit uneven access to data to dominate marine resources.

Commentary

Second Annual Ocean Security Forum

By Whitley Saumweber
Published February 11, 2020

SOS hosted the Second Annual CSIS Ocean Security Forum on January 7, 2020. Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Vice Admiral Daniel B. Abel provided keynote remarks. The event featured expert panels on China’s distant-water fishing and on the relationship between illicit fishing and human rights abuses in the seafood industry.

Commentary

PreView: Charting a New Arctic Ocean

By Whitley Saumweber and Heather Conley
Published January 16, 2020

The Arctic is warming faster than any other part of the planet, threatening ecosystems and biodiversity. How should the Arctic be governed to conserve fragile ecosystems, maintain U.S. security, and improve transparency?

Commentary

Events Making Waves Series: Governance and Security in the Ocean of Change

By Whitley Saumweber and Ty Loft
Published November 19, 2019

Whitley Saumweber and Ty Loft highlight the opportunities for action raised in a Stephenson Ocean Security Project event on how climate change is shaping maritime sustainability, sovereignty, and security.

Commentary

Going Deep: Lessons from Six Global Ocean Conferences

By Johan Bergenas, Rachel Rivera,  and James Feinstein
Published November 14, 2019

Global ocean leaders met in Oslo last month for the sixth installment of the Our Ocean Conference where participants announced 370 commitments to improve the health, resiliency, and security of the world’s seas. Over the last few months, we analyzed the commitments and this is what we found.

Commentary

Threading the Needle: Balancing Conservation and Security in the High Seas Treaty

By Whitley Saumweber and Ty Loft
Published September 3, 2019

Treaty negotiators laying the groundwork for a high seas protected area system must thread an environmental-security needle, balancing sound, science-based conservation with forthright engagement of geopolitical realities.

Commentary

IUU at Capitol Hill Ocean Week: Thoughts on Global Solutions

By Yori Hook and Whitley Saumweber
Published July 15, 2019

SOS director Whitley Saumweber moderates a Capitol Hill Ocean Week panel on strategies to increase seafood supply chain transparency in the fight against illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing.

Commentary

Piracy and Illegal Fishing in Peru’s Tropical Pacific Sea

By Emi Koch and Marco Ruiz Serkovic
Published July 3, 2019

In Peru's Tropical Pacific Sea, two main forces–industrial fishing fleets and foreign pirates–threaten small-scale fishing communities.

Commentary

China’s Most Destructive Boats Return to the South China Sea

Published May 21, 2019

A new feature by CSIS’s Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative uses satellite imagery to document renewed illegal Chinese clam harvesting in the South China Sea.

Commentary

Launch of the Stephenson Ocean Security Project

Published January 15, 2019

The Stephenson Ocean Security Project launched Wednesday, January 9, 2019. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) provided keynote remarks. The event featured expert panels that explored the intersection of fisheries and security risk in the South China Sea and the challenge and opportunity presented by marine resources in the new Arctic Ocean.

Commentary

Taking a Bi-Partisan Approach to Combatting Illegal Fishing

By Monica Medina and Carolyn Weis
Published January 9, 2019

Illicit fishing poses a global challenge to sustainability and security.  Harmonizing the U.S. Government’s broad legal and authorities and enforcement capabilities is a needed step to effectively counter this threat.

Commentary

Making the Oceans More Secure

By Monica Medina and Dan Myers
Published January 9, 2019

Combatting illicit fishing will require countries to develop common regional approaches to legal authorities and adjudication in order to fully take advantage of new enforcement capabilities.

Illuminating the South China Sea’s Dark Fishing Fleets
Spotlight

Illuminating the South China Sea’s Dark Fishing Fleets

By Gregory B. Poling
Published January 9, 2019

Unseen fishing activity. Maritime militias in the Spratlys. Fishers have often been overlooked in the South China Sea disputes. CSIS, in cooperation with Vulcan, Inc., unveils a worrying narrative about the impact fishers and their fleets have in the region.

Charting a New Arctic Ocean
Featured Spotlight

Charting a New Arctic Ocean

By Heather Conley, Matthew Melino,  and Whitley Saumweber
Published May 15, 2019

Welcome to new and largely uncharted maritime space: the Arctic Ocean. Only 2 percent of its waters are charted to international standards. Its rapid emergence is the result of dramatic environmental changes. How will nations govern this changing ocean and preserve its most distinct features? How will they protect its biodiversity?

Center for Strategic and International Studies

The Stephenson Ocean Security Project highlights global security challenges that arise from marine resource competition and promotes solutions that support sustainable development, coalition building, and the need for American leadership.

Mailing List

Sign up for regular news and updates.

Sign Up

Contact

1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036
[email protected]@CSISOceans
  • Spotlights
  • Commentary
  • About
©2023 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy