The most rewarding part of this job is talking to people on the street. It is encouraging that people from all walks of life are interested in talking about the issue of bottom trawling. Nearly everyone we speak to is truly disgusted at the destruction of the deep sea, and enthusiastically ask what more can they do to help. It is humbling to be told that we are doing a good and important job, but what most people don't realize is how much I am inspired by them. It is inevitable that at some point of the day, you have at least one eye-opening conversation that makes you feel more motivated to keep doing the job, and within that encounter you find all the reasons why what you are doing is significant.

Some of the most interesting conversations I have had on the street are from ex- bottom trawlers. They are usually attracted to the stall by the life size image of the gorgonian coral and approach to say that they recognize it from their time on the open seas. They talk openly about their experiences on the trawling boats, and all of them focus on the destruction that they witnessed. In most cases, it was the indiscriminate demolition caused by the fishing practice that convinced them to leave the industry. They are more than willing to pass their stories on to us because they know what they have to say is important. The more people we have to present first-hand accounts of the destruction going on miles out of shore, the more real the issue is to us on land and with stories like that, how much more proof do you need?