Fisherman + Lawyer = A Fisherman's Lawyer

Annie, left, during her fishing days hard at work in Southeast Alaska.

​Annie Montgomery joins us this summer after completing her second year of law school at University of Oregon. Annie grew up spending her summers power trolling out of Elfin Cove and attended school in Port Townsend, WA. She fished her own junky 23-foot power troller, the F/V Eyecatcher, in 2007 when she was 19. Although her family now owns and operates South Passage Outfitters—a small business catering to sport fishing and kayaking—they still commercial fish when they can.

While in undergrad at the University of Nevada, Reno, Annie learned about the threat to Alaska’s salmon rivers from Transboundary mines. The prospect of rapidly dwindling salmon populations and the destruction of salmon habitat in Alaska pushed her to action and, ultimately, law school. As she explored the issues surrounding salmon, Annie discovered Salmon Beyond Borders. Last November Annie attended Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle and pitched the idea of a summer internship. She has provided her own funding for her position through Oregon Law Students Public Interest Fund, which provides stipends for summer internships.
 
This past year Annie was one of five University of Oregon law students who organized the 34th Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC). PIELC is the largest and oldest environmental law conference in the world. Through her role as a conference director she organized panels—including one on the Transboundry mine issues—and brought high-profile keynote speakers--including Mark Titus, director of The Breach.
 
We are glad to have Annie on board this summer to assist with legal and policy research to support the ongoing effort to protect our transboundary rivers.