Webinar Series to Feature Legal Research from Collaborative Shellfish Aquaculture Project

Throughout July and August, the National Sea Grant Law Center (NSGLC) will be hosting a webinar series to highlight the work and findings of its collaborative project, entitled “Overcoming Impediments to Shellfish Aquaculture through Legal Research and Outreach.”

More than half of the population of the continental United States resides in coastal communities, which are increasingly home to commercial shellfish aquaculture operations. Consequently, a variety of user conflicts can arise as states seek to encourage the development or expansion of shellfish aquaculture. Each of these conflicts creates the potential for opposition and legal challenges to the industry.

An understanding of the legal and regulatory context governing shellfish aquaculture can assist in managing conflicts related to the industry. Laws and regulations in some cases create or can be perceived as impediments to the growth or success of the aquaculture industry. However, federal, state, and local legal frameworks reflect public policy choices about the multiple uses of submerged lands. Research and outreach focusing on the regulatory barriers to shellfish aquaculture can increase understanding of current legal structures and identify alternative policy options to more effectively manage submerged lands as well as the industry.

In 2017, the National Sea Grant College Program funded a multi-institutional, national collaboration to examine legal impediments to shellfish aquaculture across the United States. Project partners include attorneys from the National Sea Grant Law Center, University of Mississippi School of Law; Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program, Roger Williams University School of Law; Virginia Coastal Policy Center, William & Mary Law School; Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia; and the California Sea Grant Program.

In collaboration with shellfish industry members and the wider Sea Grant network, the Project Team identified eight priority legal and policy barriers or success stories that would benefit from the development of case studies. To download the full case study report or view our case studies story map, please visit: http://nsglc.olemiss.edu/projects/shellfish-aquaculture.

As the next step in the project, the project team will be hosting a series of webinars to present its research. The webinars will be held on Wednesdays in July and August from 1:00 – 2:00 PM CST (2:00 – 3:00 PM EST). The series schedule, with the related case studies and registration links, is as follows: