Riki Ott

Riki Ott (born August 8, 1954) is a marine toxicologist and activist in Cordova, Alaska. Ott was frequently introduced as an "oil spill expert" in her many media appearances during the height of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill news coverage. After graduating with a doctorate in sedimentary toxicology from the University of Washington, Ott moved to Alaska and started a fishing business. When the Exxon Valdez oil spill disrupted the local fishing-based economy, she became an environmental activist. Since the spill, she has participated in legal and public relations disputes with the Exxon company.

Ott has more recently become involved in the movement to end corporate personhood through a constitutional amendment. She has also repeatedly visited the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the spill, which, she argues, is causing health consequences similar to the 1989 Exxon spill.

Ott grew up in Wisconsin. She was inspired by Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and decided to pursue an education in marine biology near the ocean. She gained a BSc at Colby College in 1976; an MSc (with special focus on how oil affects zooplankton) from the University of South Carolina in 1980 and a PhD in sediment toxicology from the University of Washington in 1985. After completing her academic education she started a commercial fishing business in Prince William Sound.

Ott was working in Cordova, Alaska in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez was grounded onto the nearby Bligh Reef. The subsequent oil spill (then the largest in U.S. history) had major ramifications for the local ecosystem and for Cordova. Ott participated in the legal response to Exxon and became an activist and organizer. As a marine biologist and participant in the fishing industry, Ott quickly became a key spokesperson for those affected by the spill. She helped to draft parts of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which authorized the creation of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council and called for the introduction of double-hull oil tankers.

...
Wikipedia