I contacted the president, Sarah Wolsiffer, of Marine Awareness and Conservation Society. MACS revolves around saving, researching, and raising money to protect these animals. I asked her a few questions about her experiences and information. The interview results are below; 1. How does someone begin working in the field of marine animal conservation? A: "Working with marine animals generally starts in a zoo, aquarium, or a wildlife rehab center." 2. Does it pay off in the end? A: "Absolutely. No matter how much sweat, tears, or time you put into this work, all of that hardship washes away when you see the animal happy and healthy." 3. What is involved in saving an animal? A: "Just like with a human it starts with treating the physical problem; broken bones, malnutrition, etc. But it is also important to maintain their mental health. They need to be stimulated and happy, otherwise they won’t eat or sleep well, and all the work you did to repair their outsides would be for nothing." 4. How often does traveling happen? A: "It depends on the line of work. Generally rehab centers are based in the home range of the animals they are focused on and so don’t travel much. However there are so many lines of work with research and fisheries conservation and management that include going out into the middle the ocean or around the world. Bottom line, if you want to travel there’s work for that and if you don’t there’s work for that too." 5. Is there a lot of in-field training and work? If so, what does it involve? A: "Unless you are a vet working directly with ill animals, most of your training will be in the field. There is a steep learning curve for all fieldwork positions and what that looks like varies on the job, but you can definitely expect most of the training to be hands-on." 6. Do your efforts impact people inside and outside of your community? A: "Everything is connected. If you are helping in one aspect of the community, other aspects will benefit." 7. Where do students usually go after they learn the majority of what they wished to explore? A: "Unfortunately for the world (but fortunately for you) the oceanography field is smaller than it should be. If you find yourself wishing to be somewhere else doing something else there is generally an option to move. I can’t really say where students go because everyone is different and the possibilities are endless." 8. Where have you traveled for this? A: "Personally I have gone to the Galapagos, Florida Keys, the Gulf of California, and southern California (all for different projects) but oceanography and marine conservation can take you anywhere." 9. Do you have any ideas for how people can reduce pollution? (I have thought so hard on this question. Everyone uses plastic for many things. I thought about glass.. but that would be extremely expensive, and if it were to find it's way into the ocean, it would definitely harm the animals.) A: "There are so many things we can do! I’ll try to keep it short because I have in fact written entire published papers about it. Best thing we can do is reduce. This means use less single-use plastics (straws, plastic bags, to-go containers, etc). For personal items, the best alternatives are hard plastic (like reusable water bottles and Tupperware) and for businesses that need single-use items, the best thing for them is either paper without polyethylene liners (those are like paper cups you see that have a hard plastic liner on the inside) or bioplastics, which are biodegradable items generally made from sugar cane, bamboo, or other plant-based materials. Really the best thing is to just be conscious of the world around you. Just ask yourself how much stuff do you throw away every day and how can you make that amount smaller." 10. Are there any collaborations you have with any organization that is based on a coast such as California or Florida? A: "Every year we partner with a different organization in which we raise money for them and if it’s feasible, visit them during Spring Break. In the past we have worked with the Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Center in San Pedro, California; the Coral Restoration Foundation in Key Largo, Florida; Viva Vaquita and CEDO near the Sea of Cortex in Mexico; and SANCCOB in South Africa just to name a few." 11. How is pollution affecting marine life? A: "I like to equate it to throwing away trash in the middle of your street. Maybe you don’t notice it while you’re in your home but the second you go outside you see it; it ruins the streets. The same can be said for pollution in the oceans; animals are ingesting toxic chemicals and plastics and dying, getting caught in nets and lines, and are forced to leave their home ranges because it’s being overrun by pollutants. There are a million problems but those are probably the top three." 12. What are the projection for how continued pollution levels will affect marine life? A: "By 2050 there is expected to be more plastic in the ocean than fish, that’s ridiculous! Sewage runoff is ruining coastal reefs which are already in trouble due to global warming so they’ll probably be gone in the next 20 years if we don’t act quickly. The best site to look up information on pollution projections, current efforts, and personal changes you can make is the NOAA, they are dedicated to researching these problems thoroughly and relaying that information to the general public." 13. Do you think marine animals die faster to cleaner oceans since they are adapting to polluted water? A: "No because animals are not adapting to polluted water; they haven’t had enough time to do so. Marine animals in cleaner waters are healthier, stronger, less stressed, and live longer. Perhaps the only animals that do better in polluted water are filter feeders, but even that is a stretch. Just like people can persist in rough conditions, so can animals. But that doesn’t mean they would do better in squalor, it just means they’re strong enough to survive through it."