Archive of Spotlight Feature Articles

The National Sea Grant Law Center: Serving the Legal Research Needs of Sea Grant

by Stephanie Showalter

Do you want to know the latest on marine law and policies? Would you like to receive a copy of a quarterly report that gives you an analysis of changes in law, statutes and regulations, judicial decisions and interpretations, as well as governmental policies that affect coastal areas? Then the Sea Grant Law Center may be your answer.

The National Sea Grant Law Center was established in February 2002, to disseminate information about marine laws and policies. The Center also provides a source of critical analysis of marine laws and policies. These resources are available to the Sea Grant College Program, NOAA and other federal agencies, state legislatures and agencies, as well as individuals working in the field of ocean and coastal management and policy. The Law Center is housed at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi and currently has five full-time state members—three attorneys, a web designer/publications editor, and an administrative assistant.

Since opening its doors, the National Sea Grant Law Center has built on the existing strengths of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Legal Program and the legal research of Sea Grant College Programs around the nation. The Center is administered in conjunction with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Legal Program, the legal research arm of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. The Legal Program has served the law and policy needs of the two states and the Gulf of Mexico region for more than thirty years. While the Legal Program continues to focus on the needs and issues of the Gulf of Mexico region, the Law Center serves the entire country, focusing on national issues and accepting research requests from across the nation.

The National Sea Grant Law Center provides a variety of services to the ocean and coastal community. First, the website for the Law Center serves as the clearinghouse for information related to the projects, services, and publications of both the Law Center and the Legal Program. Various resources can be accessed through the Center’s website, including on-line versions of the Center’s publications, PowerPoint presentations, links to upcoming conferences, and coastal news articles. The Law Center’s address is http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/SGLC.

The Law Center publishes a legal reporter, THE SANDBAR, and a digest, THE SEA GRANT LAW AND POLICY DIGEST. THE SANDBAR is published quarterly and offers analysis of changes in law, statutes and regulations, judicial decisions and interpretations, and governmental policies that affect coastal areas. THE SANDBAR is available in both hard copy and on-line format. THE SEA GRANT LAW AND POLICY DIGEST is an on-line bi-annual publication indexing the law review and other articles in the fields of ocean and coastal law and policy published within the previous six months. Its goal is to inform the Sea Grant community of recent research and facilitate access to those articles. Both of these reports can easily be found on the Center’s website.

One of the primary focuses of the Law Center is the revitalization of the Sea Grant Law and Policy Network, known as SeaNet. The Law Center provides the institutional home and serves as the on-line host for SeaNet. SeaNet strives to integrate marine law and policy research nationwide. SeaNet responds to requests for information, links members together, and, in the future, will provide on-line discussions and conferences. Membership in SeaNet is open to anyone working in marine law and policy and is a great way to stay informed and share information about current research and events. If you are interested in SeaNet membership, please email sealaw@olemiss.edu.

The Law Center attorneys actively research current issues in the ocean and coastal law field. Research is currently underway in the following areas: marine protected areas, coastal water quality, maritime salvage, Southeastern water quantity issues, and conservation easements. Center attorneys present this research at national and international symposia and conferences. Published research results are available in hard copy and on the Center’s website. /p>

The Sea Grant Law Center’s Research Service is available to anyone seeking information on coastal law and policy. Center attorneys are available to provide research regarding marine laws, regulations, policies, and caselaw from all regions of the United States. The Center accepts a wide range of research requests, which, depending on the scope of the project, are completed for free or on a contractual basis. If you have a research request, or if you have any further questions about our services, please feel free to contact us via phone at (662) 915-7775 or via e-mail at sealaw@olemiss.edu. We are always eager to assist as well as to explore partnership opportunities.

[8/25/03]

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