Modern fisheries law struggles to balance the rights of coastal and high seas fishing states in managing fish stocks. The 1995 Agreement on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks aims to address this imbalance but falls short in allowing disputes over coastal state overfishing to be settled by other fishing states. Both coastal and high seas states need access to dispute settlement options for shared fish stocks. Denying high seas states the right to compulsory dispute settlement could destabilize the balance of interests. The question of whether disputes over shared fish stocks fall under compulsory jurisdiction is crucial for maintaining fairness in fisheries management.