Congestion on fishing grounds and overfishing have convinced fishermen, economists, and most governments of the necessity to control access to fishing grounds. The living resources of the sea, however, present particularities which may make the task of redefining international fishing rights...

I model the ocean as an array of lines set within a two-dimensional frame, and show how the Exclusive Economic Zone emerged as an equilibrium in customary international law. I find that custom codifies the efficient Nash equilibrium of enclosure for nearshore fisheries. For highly migratory and...