Page 20: of Marine News Magazine (October 2017)

19 21

COLUMN LEGAL

The U.S. waterfront is controlled by a mishmash of state and federal laws. States have sovereignty over their own territorial waters, generally within three miles. Outside “ of three miles, the feds claim dominion. But federal law also extends to anything that could be considered a vessel. Federal law also extends to elements of locks, dames, harbors, and piers. This distinction exists only on paper and in the minds of lawyers and politicians. In reality, workers and equipment transit these imaginary boundaries constantly throughout the day.

”

One morning, Mr. Bill drives his company pickup to tinction may not be clear enough to close out an argument a feed distributor located 5 miles inland. On his way in, by a clever Plaintiff’s attorney.

he trips and breaks his ankle. In that situation, there is no Finally, Mr. Bill has recovered from all of his injuries question that Mr. Bill’s injuries would be covered by the when he stepped from the skiff onto the open-water net state’s worker’s comp scheme. The next week, Mr. Bill is pen. Mr. Bill trips, falls into the net pen, and is nibbled on the pier and walking to the processing facility. Focused on by hungry salmon. We do not know what will cover on his