Mariel Combs
Pacific Senior Counsel
Oceana Staff
Mariel Combs joined Oceana Pacific’s legal team in 2014 to advocate for sound, science-based management of ocean resources and habitat. Her work is focused on promoting responsible fishing, reducing bycatch and protecting habitat in the California Current Ecosystem and off the coast of Alaska. She also advises Oceana’s national team on defense of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Prior to joining Oceana, Combs worked at the Department of the Interior, first in Washington, D.C., and then in Portland, Oregon. There, she advised the Department’s client agencies on resource management, and developed expertise in property law. Her proudest achievement at Interior was successfully defending the United States’ ownership and establishment of the Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuge, part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Combs has a B.S. in Biology and a J.D., with a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law, both from Lewis & Clark College. While in law school, she published a paper on Northwest Tribes’ treaty rights to harvest shellfish.