Currents

When I came to SEA I was eager to go sailing. I ended up discovering marine science and the importance of ocean policy and conservation along the way. I was shocked when we found oil in every neuston net tow, regardless of how far offshore the tow occurred. u In many ways my time at SEA led me to my current career and involvement in ocean policy.

By Drew Minkiewicz (C-139),Ocean and Coastal Law

I set sail on C-139 during my junior year at Colby College. It was a welcome change of pace from studying history and economics, and presented me with the opportunity to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams of bluewater sailing far offshore. While the trip from Miami to Woods Hole was incredible, it was not enough to satisfy my desire to go to sea. After I graduated, I left my lucrative job as a taxi driver on Martha’s Vineyard and was hired as a deckhand on W-149. My second experience with SEA was a rough, but extremely rewarding, cruise around the Caribbean Basin. Upon returning from the trip on the Westward, I set sail in a different direction, accepting admission to the University of Oregon School of Law. I left for Oregon that summer to pursue my legal studies and specialize in Ocean and Coastal Law.

During my third year of law school I was awarded a Sea Grant Fellowship which allowed me to move to Washington DC and work for the Governor of Oregon’s DC office. I represented the State on maritime and fisheries issues. The year long Fellowship gave me an introduction to Capitol Hill and fisheries policy and allowed me to finish my last semester of Law School at Georgetown, while working part time for the Governor’s office.

After taking – and fortunately passing – the Massachusetts bar exam, I was hired at my current job as Counsel for the Oceans, Fisheries and Coast Guard subcommittee of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Department. I work directly for the Chair of the Subcommittee, Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine, and I am responsible for all legislation that pertains to maritime policy and the Coast Guard. Legislation and issues that I have worked on include: the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery

Conservation and Management Act (the principle federal legislation governing our fisheries), the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, several Coast Guard Reauthorization Acts, ocean observation legislation, various pieces of legislation to implement the recommendations of the U.S. Ocean Commission, and bills to implement fisheries treaties and address other international fisheries issues. Working for a Member of Congress from Maine, I have been closely involved in the ongoing saga of New England fisheries management, an extremely challenging and rewarding opportunity.

When I came to SEA I was eager to go sailing. I ended up discovering marine science and the importance of ocean policy and conservation along the way. I was shocked when we found oil in every neuston net tow, regardless of how far offshore the tow occurred. In many ways my time at SEA led me to my current career and involvement in ocean policy. It is not until you get out onto the ocean that you are truly able to understand it and see all of the challenges and human effects on it.