In American Samoa, the villages own the beaches, and the water and
reef in front of the village, too.  It's the same in Western Samoa.  And
more specifically than that, where the houses are strung along the coast,
the area in front of each house belongs to that household.  The exception
to that rule is that they pulenu'u, or mayor, or the village may give you
permission to walk on the beach or swim anywhere in the village, and
if one person says it's OK for you to go on his part, the people in charge
of the adjacent areas will probably not mind if you wander onto theirs.
As long as you stay in the same village, of course.  If you change
villages, you have to ask someone else's permission.
 
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> From: Ross Mayhew <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Who owns the beaches??
> Date: Sunday, December 20, 1998 3:05 PM
>
> I have been wondering for some time if beaches can be privately owned in
> some countries?  In the States, Canada, Britain, Australia, NZ, and a
> lot of other countries, anything below the high-water line (as variously
> defined) is public property, and cannot be owned- which means that as
> long as one can reach it without trespassing, one can shell any
> non-restricted area to one's heart's content.  Is this true in most
> countries?  Does anyone know a country where this situation does not
> apply??
>
> -Ross M.