Sea Grant Law Center Offers Free Help with Coastal Law Issues

December 2004

by Sea Grant Staff

If you have a legal question or questions regarding a bill currently pending in Congress or a state legislature, The Sea Grant Law Center can help.

The Sea Grant Law Center was established in 2002 to address the legal research, education, and outreach needs of the Sea Grant Network. The law center conducts legal research on a variety of ocean and coastal law topics. The center also publishes a quarterly legal newsletter, The SandBar, and a bi-yearly Law and Policy Digest.

The center's most valuable service, however, is its advisory service. The Sea Grant Law Center’s Advisory Service is a legal research service provided free of charge to the Sea Grant College Program and its constituents.

While the center and its attorneys are prohibited from becoming involved in litigation, it accepts a wide range of research questions. Some recent requests have included: are there any legal barriers that would prevent commercial fishermen from taking tourists out on their boats; can a state legally ban the importation of baitfish; can federal agencies be members of 501(c)(3) organizations; and what is the potential liability of shellfish farmers for personal injury and animal entanglement? The answers to these and other questions are available online at www.olemiss.edu/orgs/SGLC/policy.html.

The general public is encouraged to submit legal questions through their local Sea Grant office (contact Minnesota Sea Grant at (218) 726-8106). The center’s standard response time is two weeks.

For additional information on the Sea Grant Law Center and its services, contact Stephanie Showalter, director, at (662) 915-7775 or sshowalt@olemiss.edu.

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