Abstract
This study is designed to propose the ways of the multilateral cooperation system for effective management of fisheries resources in the various overlapping zones established by bilateral fisheries agreements between Korea, China and Japan in North East Asia as semi-enclosed sea. It is necessary to build multilateral fisheries cooperation between Korea, China and Japan in North East Asia because conservation & management of transboundary fish stocks could not be guaranted effectively by the management of fisheries resources in the area where piled up the current-fishing-pattern zone, as white zone and the various grey zone as middle zone, and the interim measures zone of bilateral fisheries agreements between Korea, China and Japan are piled up. Fisheries management in Korea, China and Japan by the bilateral fisheries agreements in North East Asia is faced with difficulties manage fisheries resources. International relationship on fisheries is maintained by bilateral fisheries agreements based on UNCLOS. However fisheries resources are over-exploited and the recovery of the fisheries resources is very slow because proper conservation and management of transboundary fish stocks which article 63(1) of UNCLOS defines have not prepared yet. Thus close cooperation among the coastal States for a proper conservation and management of transboundary fish stocks is necessary. Since the transboundary fish migrate within the EEZs of two or more coastal States, there is a need to manage the fish stocks in the region between Korea, China and Japan through a multi-lateral mechanism at ccircumference area of the current-fishing-pattern zone as white zone. Coastal States must guarantee sustainable maintenance of transboundary fish stocks through the regional cooperation for a proper conservation & management because one coastal State alone could not guarantee conservation and management of fish stocks. Thus there is a need to build multilateral fisheries cooperation between Korea, China and Japan in North East Asia. There are many successful instances including the Barents' sea for a proper conservation & management of transboundary fish stocks. The Barents' sea is one of the best research object to study the regional cooperation for a conservation & management of transboundary fish stocks in North East Asia. In conclusion, it is necessary to build a multilateral fisheries cooperation system between Korea, China and Japan in North East Asia to conserve and manage transboundary fish stocks effectively. It seems desirable that the range of the area to conserve and manage fish stocks should may be any partial area in the current-fishing-pattern zone and interim measures zone between Korea and China, Jeju middle zone between Korea and Japan, interim measures zone of bilateral fisheries agreements between China and Japan.