The Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas
Protecting Our Coastal Seas for Future Generations

In many parts of the world there are bodies of sea water that are almost entirely enclosed by land. These bodies of water are called enclosed coastal seas. Examples include the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea, Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf of Thailand, the Bo Hai in northern China and, in Japan, the Seto Inland Sea, Tokyo Bay and Ise Bay. Since ancient times, enclosed coastal seas have been known for their great scenic beauty. Their outstanding natural attributes have spurred the development of transportation networks and many types of industry in the ocean and coastal regions, and they have been the setting for cultural and recreational activities throughout the ages. But man's activities have exceeded the natural ability of the seas to cleanse themselves, giving rise to problems of pollution in the world's enclosed coastal seas such as eutrophication, "red tides" and "blue tides". We must work to preserve these priceless natural treasures if we are to pass them onto future generations.

The World's Major Enclosed Coastal Seas

1. Chesapeake Bay (total area 15,000 km² / average depth 7 meters)
2. San Francisco Bay (total area 1,500 km² / two thirds of the bay less than 5 meters deep at low tide)
3. Gulf of Mexico (total area 1,500,000 km² / maximum depth 5,023 meters)
4. Mediterranean Sea (total area 3,000,000 km² / average depth 1,500 meters)
5. North Sea (total area 575,000 km² / average depth 90 meters)
6. Baltic Sea (total area 370,000 km² / average depth 55 meters)
7. Persian Gulf (total area 260,000 km² / depth less than 90 meters)
8. Arabian Sea (total area 7,000,000 km² / average depth 2,734 meters)
9. Gulf of Thailand (total area 320,000 km² / average depth 45 meters)
10. Bo Hai (Gulf of Chihli) (total area 80,000 km² )
11. Seto Inland Sea (total area 22,000 km² / average depth 37 meters)
12. Black Sea (total area 423,000 km² / depth less than____meters)