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The Outlaw Ocean Course: Policy Practicum and Student Report

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A ten-week, class-based research experience for undergraduate and graduate students led by the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions and Stanford Law School. Student coursework is separate from the applied research or implementation conducted by COS staff.

About the Course

The Outlaw Ocean Policy Practicum was born out of COS's work with the Friends of Ocean Action and the World Economic Forum on issues of illegal fishing and labor abuses in the seafood industry. Hosted by the COS and the Stanford Law School (SLS) Law & Policy Lab, this collaborative course represents an investment by COS and SLS in developing future ocean leaders. It brings together students from across Stanford University’s graduate and undergraduate programs to apply their multidisciplinary expertise in law, policy, ocean science, and management in a ten-week research experience.


The Outlaw Ocean Policy Practicum has been taught in Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Fall 2021. Each iteration of the course included a partnership with clients who work at different stages within and adjacent to seafood supply chains. The clients during the Spring 2020 course were Global Fishing Watch, COS, and the Stanford Center for Human Rights and International Justice. The clients in Fall 2020 were Global Fishing Watch and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation. The clients in Fall 2021 were FishWise and the Rights Lab from the University of Nottingham.

Read about The Outlaw Ocean course in Fall 2021 >
Read about The Outlaw Ocean course in Fall 2020 >
Read about The Outlaw Ocean course in Spring 2020 >

About the Report

The Outlaw Ocean Reports are the culminating products of the first two iterations of The Outlaw Ocean course. The papers contained in the reports  are the product of the students' work conducting background research, analyzing legal documents and international agreements, and interviewing a variety of experts  and actors who approach these issues from many different perspectives. The report and its contents will serve as an important tool and resource for the clients of The Outlaw Ocean course, as well as for future iterations of the policy practicum. The products for the third iteration of the course were intended for client use only.

Read the news story on the first Outlaw Ocean Report >
Read the news story on the second Outlaw Ocean Report >
Read the news story on the third Outlaw Ocean course>

 

Outlaw Ocean report spring 2020

 

 

Outlaw Ocean full report fall 2020