The Legislature of Guam hereby declares as the public policy of the territory of Guam that it is the public right to have unrestricted access to the ocean shores of Guam for common use by all the people of Guam, and therefore that strip of public land above the high mean watermark must be preserved and protected for all generations to assure free access to the beaches of the territory to the maximum extent, to preserve the natural beauty of Guam’s beaches, and to alleviate the health problems caused by construction near tidal areas. It is, therefore, the purpose of this Chapter to forever preserve and maintain the sovereignty of the territory heretofore legally existing over the ocean shore of the territory so that the public may have the free and uninterrupted use thereof; to protect, settle and confirm the public rights to the use of the ocean shore heretofore acquired by public dedication, prescription, or otherwise and to authorize the reacquisition of the ocean shore where a portion thereof has been lost to private ownership and no public rights exist therein as a result of dedication, prescription, or otherwise.
SOURCE: GC ‘13451 enacted by P.L. 12-19.