Fishing is not amenable to enclosure. Unfortunately that's how our society has managed resources in the field for the last 500 years. Worse, the ocean laughs at Westphalian borderisms. It's not only our economic traditions: our political institutions are not up to the task. Stalinism relies on borders too.
We have some arrogance about our recent social achievements, as a species. In a few centuries we went from clashing empires to a semblance of cooperative and democratic internationalism with a general if superficial repudiation of racism and imperialism. Some people, both pro- and anti-capitalist, have suggested that we are within sight of a long-term equilibrium of social development. It's humbling in these circumstances to remember that we still don't even really know what to do about... fish.
Well we also don't know what to do about suicide. Just because unsolved problems exist, doesn't mean civilization hasn't improved a lot. You would surely never expect to get to a state with no remaining social problems.
Except all that is bull. Look at Iceland and the Cod Wars. Massive areas of the ocean can be pulled into the direct control of nations and it would have an enormous impact on the oceans.
The Chinese straight-up don't care about legal claims (see: the galapagos islands fishing incidents), unless you are willing to use force and sink offending vessels they don't really care what you think or say about it.
NATO is indeed quite powerful. Unfortunately the strategic balance of power in the Atlantic cannot be held hostage by most nations trying to protect their fishing rights!
We have some arrogance about our recent social achievements, as a species. In a few centuries we went from clashing empires to a semblance of cooperative and democratic internationalism with a general if superficial repudiation of racism and imperialism. Some people, both pro- and anti-capitalist, have suggested that we are within sight of a long-term equilibrium of social development. It's humbling in these circumstances to remember that we still don't even really know what to do about... fish.