On June 8th, countries around the globe will celebrate World Oceans Day. This year, the United States should send a powerful signal to the world that we care about ocean conservation and are ready to be a leader within the international community by signing on to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, or simply the Law of the Sea Treaty, was completed in 1982 and went into effect in 1994. So far, 158 nations and the European Union have joined. This includes every major industrialized nation except the United States. The treaty establishes a comprehensive set of rules governing the use and conservation of the world's oceans, including the airspace above and the seabed and subsoil below. It balances the interests of states in controlling activities off their own coasts and the interests of all states in international waters. Urge the president and Congress to make ratifying the Law of the Sea a priority this year.