The strait was named by Joseph Banks for Captain George Dixon, a Royal Navy officer, maritime fur trader, and explorer, who surveyed the area in 1787.
Canada claims the line is the international maritime boundary, while the United States holds that its purpose was only to designate the land masses belonging to each country.
Hence, the U.S. does not recognize the "A–B" line as an official boundary (to govern, for example, seafloor resources or fishing rights).
[4] In addition, Nunez Rocks is a low-tide elevation (LTE) ("bare at half-tide"[5]) that lies south of the "A–B" Line, surrounded by the sea territory claimed by the U.S.[4] The United States has not ratified the Law of the Sea Treaty, although it adheres to most of its principles as customary international law.
Territorial fishing disputes between the countries remain today, as the United States has never shown the "A–B" line as an official boundary on its government maps.