Craig McLean

Craig N. McLean spent four decades in federal service at NOAA, beginning as a uniformed officer in the NOAA Corps before rising to lead the agency's research division as Assistant Administrator. A champion of ocean exploration and scientific integrity, he was the founding director of NOAA's Ocean Exploration program and led the creation of the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, the only U.S. vessel dedicated to deep ocean exploration. His field work included the recovery of the USS Monitor turret and a 2004 return expedition to the Titanic with explorer Bob Ballard. Since retiring from NOAA, Mr. McLean has continued his work in ocean affairs as Senior Advisor to the President of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and as an advisor to The Ocean Foundation, the Rising Seas Institute, and The Ocean Race.

Mr. McLean served for 11 years as the U.S. representative to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, helping to lead the UN Decade of Ocean Science, and represented the United States in the U.S.-EU-Canada Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation. He holds a B.S. in Zoology from Rutgers University and a law degree from Quinnipiac College School of Law, and has practiced marine resource law throughout his career at NOAA.

At this symposium, Mr. McLean will address the legal and jurisdictional challenges of protecting underwater cultural heritage, examining how the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention allocates authority across maritime zones and where gaps leave UCH vulnerable. He will discuss the role of salvage law and admiralty jurisdiction in shaping landmark cases, explore the Titanic International Agreement as a model for high seas protection, and consider how UCH might be integrated into emerging frameworks including the High Seas Treaty on biodiversity.