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...And Diving to New Depths Celebrating 20 Years of Fulfilling its Mission The National Sea Grant Law Center celebrates 20 years of fulfilling its mission to provide legal information and analysis to the Sea Grant community, policy-makers, and the general public. Established in 2002, the NSGLC at UM Law integrates the efforts of ocean and coastal law researchers in a nationwide network, conducts research on ocean and coastal law issues, and provides outreach and advisory services to coastal constituents. Exploring Options to Authorize Offshore Aquaculture In 2019, the NSGLC received funding to plan and convene a collaborative learning workshop with legal scholars, federal executive agency staff, congressional staff, and industry representatives to tackle the uncertainty surrounding security of tenure for offshore aquaculture operations. The NSGLC uses “security of tenure” to refer to the rights that aquaculture operators receive from the federal government to use and occupy federal waters for offshore aquaculture. The primary goals of the project are: (1) to improve the understanding of the property-related legal options for the development of marine aquaculture in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and (2) to identify potential approaches to implement those options. Best Practices for Regulating Seaweed as Human Food Sea Grant programs throughout the nation are currently helping growers in their states enter the U.S. seaweed aquaculture industry. The emerging industry in the U.S. presents novel legal considerations, including how to regulate the sale of seaweed in its whole form as a food product. There is currently no federal guidance on the food safety risks of seaweed in its whole form, leaving states unsure how to proceed with their own laws and regulations, impeding the growth of the industry. In 2019, the NSGLC, in partnership with Connecticut Sea Grant, received funding from the National Sea Grant College Program to enhance coordination among states in building policy consensus for preferred approaches for regulating the sale of seaweed.     20 


































































































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