3L Rowan Lane Helps Strengthen Sustainable Fishing Regulations in the Pacific Islands 

Working at the intersection of environmental and international law, 3L Rowan Lane’s externship at the Pacific Community furthered her understanding of the ways international coordination can help to address climate change.

3L student Rowan Lane shares how her work in UC Law SF’s Environmental Law Clinic directly benefited Pacific Island nations experiencing the impacts of climate change.  

• Researched fishing violations and developed a tool to help the 27 members of the Pacific Community improve policies and legislation for their countries and territories.
• Worked at intersection of environmental and international law and expanded understanding of career opportunities in international development.
• Clinic experience included efforts to improve sustainability and address climate change for Pacific Ocean nations.

3L Rowan Lane:

In the Environmental Law Clinic, I worked remotely with the Pacific Community, an international development organization based in New Caledonia that partners with local communities to develop sustainable aquaculture. The Pacific Community has 27 Pacific Ocean member countries and territories, each of which maintains its own policies and fishing regulations. 

I was placed within their Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems (FAME) division, where I conducted legal research on common fishing violations in the Pacific region. This included a variety of destructive fishing techniques, such as the use of explosives or prohibited fishing nets.  

I worked with my supervisor to create a comparative chart based on each nation’s legislation. This document was designed as a tool for member nations to use when formatting their own environmental regulations. By looking at the practices of other countries, a member nation can reform their policies and increase their enforcement power based on other successful measures. Throughout the clinic, I learned not only a great deal about environmental law and enforcement, but also about working with international law and international statutes. 

As an aspiring public interest lawyer, working for the Pacific Community allowed me to support a nonprofit whose work I believe in. I am especially interested in the intersection of environmental law and international law, and the ways in which international coordination can address climate change. This externship was the perfect opportunity to explore these interests.  

In the Environmental Law Clinic, I found parallels between the U.S. legal system and those of the Pacific region. Through studying environmental policy within different legal systems, I continued to educate myself on environmental innovation that I will bring to my own legal practice. This experience broadened both my legal perspectives and worldview. I learned so much about the Pacific region and the unique challenges and resilience that nations exhibit when faced with the effects of climate change. 

I would strongly recommend the Environmental Law Clinic! Gaining experience in a field that you are interested in before graduation is extremely valuable. I learned both technical and legal skills that I continued to use in my summer internship position.  

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