Planning for tomorrow 



C Continued from page 1 ) 



categories — areas of environmental concern and 

 all other areas. Environmentally sensitive areas, 

 to be designated by the state Coastal Resources 

 Commission, include wetlands, dunes, estuarine 

 lands and waters, watersheds, wildlife, scenic and 

 historic sites, and areas where the public may have 

 special rights or where development may be 

 hazardous. 



Under the act, the state is charged with regulat- 

 ing development in areas of environmental con- 

 cern. In all other areas, the management law 

 allows county and city governments to determine 

 uses for lands and waters, the professor points out. 



The act calls for each of the 20 coastal counties 

 to submit a plan for development by December 1, 

 1975, to the state Coastal Resources Commission 

 (CRC). If a county fails to comply, the state will 

 develop a plan for that county. 



The CRC, a new state agency established by the 

 coastal act, is charged with reviewing and approv- 

 ing county plans, Schoenbaum points out. The 15- 

 member commission, chosen by the governor, is to 

 be made up of 12 local government nominees. 



In order to build on or develop an area of envi- 

 ronmental concern, the developer must apply for 

 a permit, according to the new law. Where he ap- 

 plies depends on the size of his development and 

 on whether it presently requires approval from a 

 state agency. Schoenbaum explains that permits 

 for major developments must be obtained from the 

 state CRC, while permits for minor developments 

 are to be granted by local governments. 



A major development, according to the law, oc- 

 cupies more than 20 acres, consists of a structure 

 of more than 60,000 square feet or meets conditions 

 presently requiring a special state permit, such 

 as for dredging or filling of marshlands. Minor 

 developments include all others. 



Law students study issues 

 of international sea law 



Most North Carolinians will probably never see 

 the foreign ships that fish regularly off their state's 

 shore. 



But as world food and mineral supplies dwindle 

 and nations scramble to grab the sea's bounty, 

 North Carolinians are likely to hear more about 

 fishing and mining rights in the ocean. 



Students at the University of North Carolina 

 School of Law have delved into a wide range of 

 ocean-related issues confronting all nations. Their 

 research into offshore disputes that have flared in 

 the past promises to help guide the thinking of 

 policy-makers at both the state and national levels 

 as they regulate activities off their coasts. 



Dr. Seymour W. Wurfel, UNC law professor who 



North Carolina fishermen are likely to meet 

 more competition from foreign fishing vessels in 

 the future. UNC law students are studying ocean 

 law to learn more about fishing rights issues 

 facing the state and nation. 



has support from Sea Grant, has directed the stu- 

 dents' legal research. Through their efforts, the 

 students, many of whom are now practicing law, 

 have become acquainted with the law of the sea. At 

 the same time they have made significant contri- 

 butions to an understanding of ocean issues 

 through publication of their studies. 



Much of their research has focused on the con- 

 flict over how far offshore a nation can claim ex- 

 clusive fishing rights. Most coastal nations have 

 agreed that other countries cannot fish or mine in 

 waters within 12 miles of their shore. But to pro- 

 tect and conserve their fishery resources, 12 

 nations have extended their exclusive fishing 

 rights to 200 miles offshore. Iceland, aiming at 

 guarding her cod fishery, set her fishing rights at 

 50 miles in 1972, a move which brought on the sec- 

 ond "cod war" with England. 



As nations increasingly turn to the sea for min- 

 erals, foods and other resources, it becomes essen- 

 tial that to avoid conflict all nations share in the 

 seas' wealth and that all realize that their activities 

 on the high seas affect the entire world. Law stu- 

 dents have analyzed the possibilities and problems 

 of developing a set of international rules to regu- 

 late the exploitation of the oceans and to insure 

 that all nations share in ocean resources. They 

 have also studied how polluting or fishing activities 

 of one nation affects all. 



A United Nations conference in Caracas, Vene- 

 zuela this summer will seek to resolve some of the 

 problems UNC law students have defined and dis- 

 cussed in their research. At the conference, nations 

 will try to agree on the limits of exclusive fishing 

 rights and on international regulations governing 

 the use and conservation of ocean resources. 



Even though the issues sound far removed from 

 North Carolinians today, they will likely be af- 

 fected by them tomorrow. 



