Marine Scientific Research has as noted under the UNCLOS has a limited application. It only covers the international waters and not the territorial sea. However the fact that marine scientific research has a wide scope when states undertake cross boundary research. The developed countries on most occasions choose the waters of the developing country as it is believed to have less stringent regulations. This many a times lead to dumping at the cost of affecting the natural resources on the name of fair use as a part of marine scientific research. This article articulates the thin line between the two terms and its application in the international law especially the concerned treaties like CBD and London Convention. The article emphasizes the same by demonstrating the current popular scientific research i.e. Ocean fertilization and the London protocol brought in to regulate the concerns.
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