New monograph by CSLS DPhil student Sarah Levy explores direct action and marine conservation law

Sarah Levy, DPhil student at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, has published a new monograph with Routledge titled The Only Flag Worth Flying: Direct Action and the Enforcement of International Marine Conservation Law (2026), with a foreword by Captain Paul Watson.

The book addresses a central dilemma in international environmental law: how global ecological norms can remain meaningful where enforcement is weak or absent. Focusing on the interventions of the Sea Shepherd movement, Levy examines the role of non-state actors who undertake direct action to enforce marine conservation law in areas where states may lack the capacity, jurisdiction, or political will to act.

Combining analysis of international legal frameworks with contemporary case studies, the monograph interrogates the relationship between legality, legitimacy, and enforcement in a fragmented global order. It offers a socio-legal perspective on emerging models of ocean stewardship and the evolving role of civil society in global marine governance.

Published in the wake of the High Seas Treaty’s entry into force in January 2026, the book contributes to ongoing debates on enforcement gaps beyond national jurisdiction and the future of international ocean governance.

Reflecting on the book’s central themes, Levy writes:

“When legality becomes illusion and enforcement collapses into symbolism, resistance may be the most just act of all — thus, in a sea of fallen standards, the pirate flag may be the only one worth flying.”

The monograph is available via Routledge.