Aquatic Animal Law

Aquatic Animal Law - Professor Hira Jaleel

• Course Number: LAW-927-OL
• Course Type: Highly Specialized
• Credits: 3
• Enrollment Limit: Determined by the Registrar
• Description: Humans use aquatic animals in a number of ways, often wreaking havoc on aquatic habitats and causing extreme distress and suffering for trillions of individual animals. The impact of human activity on aquatic animals is evident from the fact that fishes consumed for food are measured in metric tonnes, as opposed to the number of individuals caught.

However, aquatic animals are often missing from the mainstream legal conversation. This course will delve into laws affecting the welfare of aquatic animals, whether found in the wild, consumed as food, or used for entertainment or research. The course briefly covers international law instruments and recent international developments geared towards or affecting aquatic animals. It will also examine how various U.S federal and state laws, as well as laws of certain jurisdictions outside the U.S, protect aquatic animals or fail to do so. Additionally, the course will introduce students to case law involving aquatic animals. Finally, students will examine contemporary issues pertaining to aquatic animals, such as debates around octopus farming or the ethics of genetically engineering fish. Throughout the course, students will be encouraged to think about how future laws and policies can be shaped to better protect the interests of aquatic animals given the unique challenges these animals face.

• Prerequisite: None
• Evaluation Method: Quizzes, participation via discussion posts, and final paper
• Capstone: Yes
• WIE: Yes