Traditional Media Toolkit
Letters to the Editor
- Why?
- When?
- How?
- Acceptance Tips
- Sample LTES
Opinion-Editorial Piece (op-ed)
- Topic and Theme
- Research
- How To Write an Op-Ed
- Submission Tip
- Sample Op-eds
Messaging
- Offshore Finfish Farming in General
- AQUAA Act
- Executive Order 13921
- Velella Epsilon
- Nationwide Permit 56
- Hawai'i
- National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
Letters to the Editor
A letter to the editor is a written way of talking to a newspaper, magazine, or other regularly printed publication. Letters to the editor are generally found in the first section of the newspaper, or toward the beginning of a magazine, or in the editorial page. They can take a position for or against an issue, or simply inform, or both. Letters to the editor are among the most widely read features in any newspaper or magazine. They allow you to reach a large audience.
Letters to the editor are usually short and tight, rarely longer than 300 words - each paper has their own requirements.
Why?
Letters to the editor can be used to start a community conversation about an issue important to you. They can convince readers by using emotions, or facts, or emotions and facts combined. This is a good way to get a message out. They increase awareness of the issues that you or your organization are working for, as well as to advocate for your cause.
When?
A planned series of letters to the editor can stimulate public interest and media coverage, but may take some time to be published. If they are in response to an article written in the paper, there is a higher chance it will be published. Letters to the editor can be written any time you want to shape public opinion, tell others how you feel about people, programs, or ideas, or just inform the public on a certain issue.
How?
LTEs follow the format of a formal letter, and so they start with the sender's complete address followed by the date, receiving editor's address, subject, salutation, body of the letter, complimentary closing, signature, name and designation if any. Below are some tips when developing an LTE:
- Open The Letter With A Simple Salutation.
Don't worry if you don't know the editor's name. A simple "To the Editor of the Daily Sun," or just “To the Editor:” is sufficient. If you have the editor's name, however, you should use it to increase the possibilities of your letter being read and thus, published.
- Grab The Reader's Attention.
Your opening sentence is very important. It should tell readers what you’re writing about, and make them want to read more.
- Explain What The Letter Is About At The Start.
Throughout your letter, remember the rule: Be quick, Be concise, and then Be quiet.
- Explain Why The Issue Is Important.
If you are motivated enough to write a letter to a newspaper or magazine, the importance of your topic may seem clear to you. Remember, though, that the general public probably doesn't share your background or the interest. Explain the issue and its importance simply. Use plain language that most people will understand
- Give Evidence For Any Praise Or Criticism.
If you are writing a letter discussing a past or pending action, be clear in showing why this will have good or bad results.
- State Your Opinion About What Should Be Done.
You can write a letter just to ''vent," or to support or criticize a certain action or policy, but you may also have suggestions about what could be done to improve the situation. If so, be sure to add these as well. Be specific. And the more good reasons you can give to back up your suggestions, the better.
- Keep It Brief.
Generally, shorter letters have a better chance of being published. So go back over your letter and see if anything can be cut or condensed. You can also send it to Don’t Cage Our Oceans to read and edit. If you have a lot to say and it can't be easily made short, you may want to check with the editor to see if you could write a longer opinion feature or guest column.
- Sign The Letter.
Be sure to write your full name (and title, if relevant) and to include your address, phone number, and e-mail address. Newspapers won't print anonymous letters, though in some cases they may withhold your name on request. They may also call you to confirm that you wrote the letter before they publish it.
Acceptance Tips:
- Keep your letter under 300 words. Editors have limited space for printing letters, and some papers have stated policies regarding length (check the editorial page for this).
- Make sure your most important points are stated in the first paragraph. Editors may need to cut parts of your letter and they usually do so from the bottom up.
- Refer to a recent event in your community or to a recent article – make a connection and make it relevant.
- Use local statistics and personal stories to better illustrate your point.
- Make sure you include your title as well as your name – it adds credibility, especially if it's relevant to the topic being discussed.
- Editors may want to contact you, so include your phone number and email address.
- If your letter is not accepted the first time around, try, try again. You might submit a revised version with a different angle on the issue at a later date.
You do not have to be the only one to write the letter: letters are often published with multiple signers. You also don’t have to be the only one to write a letter. Several people may write letters on the same topic with the same or slightly different points, and submit them a few days apart, so that the issue stays on the Letters page for a period of time. If you have talented writers in your group, you might encourage one of them to write an editorial article or an "Op-Ed" – that is, an opinion editorial that is usually printed on the citizen opinion page. Most of all, don't limit your communications. Brainstorm for ideas in your group – how can you further your goals by speaking to the readers of your community paper?
Sample LTES
Fish in the Global Balance (NYT)
On plates, farmed fish will beat out wild fish within six years (LA Times)
Opinion-Editorial Piece (op-ed)
An op-ed piece derives its name from originally having appeared opposite the editorial page in a newspaper. Today, the term is used more widely to represent a column that represents the strong, informed, and focused opinion of the writer on an issue of relevance to a targeted audience.
Topic and Theme
Every successful op-ed piece or column must have a clearly defined topic and theme.
- Topic: the person, place, issue, incident, or thing that is the primary focus of the column. The topic is usually stated in the first paragraph.
- Theme: another level of meaning to the topic. What’s the big, overarching idea of the column? What is your point? Why is your point important? The theme may appear early in the piece or it may appear later when it may also serve as a turning point into a deeper level of argument.
Research
While op-ed pieces allow writers to include their own voice and express an opinion, to be successful the columns must be grounded in solid research. Research involves acquiring facts, quotations, citations, or data from sources and personal observation. There are two basic methods of research:
- Field research: going to the scene, interviews, legwork; primary materials, observations, and knowledge
- Library, academic, or internet research: using secondary materials, including charts, and scholarly articles
How To Write an Op-Ed
- Openings
The first line of an op-ed is crucial. The opening “hook” may grab the reader’s attention with a strong claim, a surprising fact, a metaphor, a mystery, or a counter-intuitive observation that entices the reader into reading more. The opening also briefly lays the foundation for your argument.
- Endings
Every good column or op-ed piece needs a strong ending which has some basic requirements:
- Echoes or answers introduction
- Has been foreshadowed by preceding thematic statements
- Is the last and often most memorable detail
- Contains a final epiphany or calls the reader to action
- Voice
Having a strong voice is critical to a successful column or op-ed piece. Columns are most typically conversational in tone, so you can imagine having a conversation with your reader as you write (a short, focused conversation). But the range of voice used in columns can be wide: contemplative, conversational, descriptive, experienced, informative, informed, introspective, observant, plaintive, reportorial, self-effacing, sophisticated, humorous, among many other possibilities.
Sometimes what voice you use is driven by the publication for which you are writing. A good method of perfecting your voice is to get in the habit of reading your column or op- ed out loud. Doing so gives you a clear sense of how your piece might sound – what your voice may come off as – to your intended reader.
- Revision Checklist
Some things to remember as you revise your op-ed or column before you submit it for publication:
- Check clarity and simplicity.
- Check coherence and unity.
- Check voice and tone (Most are conversational; some require an authoritative voice).
- Check direct quotations and paraphrasing for accuracy.
- Check to make sure you properly credit all sources (though formal citations are not necessary.)
- Check the consistency of your opinion throughout your op-ed or column. cont.
Submission Tips
Make sure you check the maximum word count in the editorial page guidelines and email your op-ed to an actual editor from the publication’s masthead rather than just submitting via an online form. For traditional/print newspapers, word count is usually lower (~400-800 words). If you want to go long, better to pitch a digital or more specialized outlet, often they will take op-eds that are 1000+ words. Have your piece ready at least one week before you want it to hit the papers. Or if you are responding to a recent article or event, do so within the first few days afterward. Don’t forget to include your phone number and email address.
Sample Op-eds:
California waters need protection from industrial aquaculture
OPINION: We should protect Alaska’s coastal fisheries, in Don Young’s honor
Messaging:
Below are some ideas for your letter to the editor or op-ed. These are talking points on which you can expand. We have included some links to provide more information and/or citations. If you have questions, please contact us at info@dontcageouroceans.org
Carving up the Oceans:
- The Federal Government is carving up the oceans for private industries to pollute our waters and prevent access
- This is happening behind closed doors
- This is like marine spatial planning
- Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations at Sea
- Billionaires carving out the ocean with US taxpayers’ funding
Offshore Finfish Farming in General
This can be the basis to support your concerns with various issues related to offshore finfish farming.
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- Offshore finfish farming does not benefit fishing communities, the environment, or healthy food production, but they do profit a handful of corporations and the industrial seafood lobby.
- They advance the same industrial food production model that has forced farmers to sell their land, pollute waterways, and contribute to poor nutrition and human health problems.
- Offshore fish farms are essentially floating concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
- They will not feed the world, as food production and distribution will be controlled by a handful of corporations. Additionally, the fish is intended for high end markets, not the corner market.
- Fish feed used in these farms are made of fish low on the trophic level, such as Gulf menhaden that are needed for the well functioning of the entire marine ecosystem.
- Some fish feeds are made with GMO corn and soy that have been grown on massive farms and land that has been taken from family farmers in the U.S. or from indigenous peoples in places such as Brazil. See our Fish Feed Fact Sheet.
- Offshore finfish farming exacerbates the pressures that marine ecosystems and fisheries already experience, and exposes the public to health dangers.
- Industrial offshore fish farms could contaminate our waters with drugs, other chemicals, untreated waste, and create a breeding ground for pests and diseases. See our Chemical Fact Sheet.
- Due to the projected increase in pollution and other ecological damage caused by these industrial farms, the value of wild-caught fish and fish populations could decline. Independent fishermen - many of whom are already struggling - could be pushed out of business. Coastal economies that depend on tourism are likely to suffer as polluted areas will attract fewer visitors. Overall, the goal of increasing domestic seafood and jobs through offshore finfish farming does not benefit coastal communities, nor provide consumers with healthy fish options.
- Check out our General OFF Fact Sheet for more information
AQUAA Act
- The Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture Act, or “AQUAA Act” was introduced in the Senate (S. 3100) in October 2021 by Sen. Wicker (R-MS) with cosponsors Sen. Schatz (D-HI) and Sen. Rubio (R-FL); Sen. Moran (R-KS) joined in June 2022. In December 2021, the House companion bill (H.R. 6258) was introduced by Rep. Palazzo (R-MS) and cosponsored by Rep. Case (D-HI). Rep. Palazzo has lost his bid for re-election and will no longer serve in January 2023.
- The AQUAA Act seeks to allow industrial-scale food production at sea - away from any meaningful oversight and to the detriment of fishing communities, consumer health, animal welfare, and the marine environment. These facilities would directly discharge untreated fish waste and other pollutants into surrounding waters, attract and endanger marine life, spread lethal pests and disease, and compromise wild fish through farmed fish escapement.
- The bill does not mention the Marine Mammal Protection Act or Endangered Species Act, despite the direct impacts facilities would have on marine mammals and endangered species.
- It is silent on pest and disease prevention and treatment, including when and how farmed fish must be tested, as well as methods to treat and prevent disease breakouts. The most common treatments kill nearby marine life and degrade water quality.
- The bill would allow farming of genetically modified and transgenic fish, which threaten the environment and public health. When GMO fish inevitably escape, they will cause genetic degradation of our wild stocks. Eating farmed GMO fish is also a significant public health issue.
- The bill gives blanket authority to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to administer veterinary drugs (such as antibiotics and sea lice chemicals), regulate ingredients in fish feed (such as overfished species and GMO corn/soy), and source farmed fish stock (like cultivating wild caught juveniles). NOAA has been a champion of offshore finfish farming for decades and could hastily come to permitting conclusions.
- The bill ignores monitoring and regulating workplace conditions. Maintaining industrial ocean fish farms is one of the world’s most dangerous jobs.
- The bill relies on a failed strategy for decommissioning facilities – the same method that has proven ineffective in the offshore drilling industry.
- The bill limits public input. Public comment periods are restricted to only once per facility application “to the extent practicable.” There is no mention of stakeholder engagement on the Aquaculture Subcommittee, which should include voices from conservation organizations and the fishing industry.
- The bill ignores traceability. The public has a right to know about every stage of production, including where fish are sourced and processed, and what they are fed.
- The bill does not fully protect states opposing the industry. The “state opt out” provision requires facilities to comply with state laws outright banning or prohibiting certain types of aquaculture. However, this fails to protect states that have effectively banned the industry through other means, such as refraining from regulating or permitting the industry at the agency level, or by defunding regulatory activities through the state’s budget.
- The bill does not protect our wild-capture fishing industries. There are no market-based mechanisms to protect wild-caught fisheries from the harm anticipated by the increase in marine finfish aquaculture.
- The bill has neither a requirement nor an incentive for farmed fish to stay in the U.S. The U.S. already exports a significant amount of seafood, and the bill provides no guarantee that it will reduce the seafood trade deficit.
- The bill promotes outdated and unnecessary fish farming methods. In the decades of failed federal bills to authorize this industry, technology has progressed and there are better alternatives out there. When combined with wild-capture fishing and ocean-based mariculture of shellfish and plants, land-based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) can help increase seafood production without the environmental and socio-economic havoc associated with offshore finfish farms.
- Check out our AQUAA Act Fact Sheet for more information
Executive Order 13921
- EO 13921: Promoting Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth is a Trump Era action, signed on May 7, 2020 and is still in effect today.
- This Trump Era Executive Order is giving the green light to the Biden Administration and the Congressional Democrats to continue a Trump-supported dirty industry.
- EO 13921 directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - NOAA - to be the lead on promoting offshore finfish aquaculture.
- The EO calls on NOAA to identify farm sites and fast track a regulatory process in coordination with the Army Corps of Engineers.
- These so-called Aquaculture Opportunity Areas (AOAs) make up an AOA Atlas, which is the federal government’s attempt to carve up our waters and stake out private claims in the oceans at the behest of large corporate interests.
- EO 13921 is not the answer to degraded environments, public health crises, and struggling local economies, especially in the middle of a global health crises and climate chaos.
- Executive Order 13921 must be revoked. Coastal communities and the marine ecosystems must be protected by investing in the communities and marine conservation.
- Read the Letter submitted to the Biden Administration to Revoke 13921
- Check out our EO Fact Sheet for more information
Velella Epsilon
- This project, owned by the Ocean Era company from Hawai'i and based off of Sarasota, FL, plans to develop a “pilot” project that would grow 77,000 lbs of Almaco Jack annually, which is more fish than is landed in the entire Gulf of Mexico in a full year.
- It hopes to gain approval and then rapidly expand to full commercial scale production by adding more sea cages and multiplying its output tenfold.
- This facility received an EPA NPDES permit (effluent discharge permit) in June 2022, and there are groups currently considering a response to this poor decision.
Nationwide Permit 56
- Under Executive Order 13921, the US Army Corps of Engineers is tasked to develop a one-stop nationwide permit to give the green light to aquaculture development in any region of U.S. federal waters.
- The one that covers offshore finfish is called Nationwide Permit 56 (“NWP 56”)
- It is meant to replace the need to obtain a case-by-case basis permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under the Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 (pertaining to structures moored to the seabed).
- This will help fast track offshore aquaculture projects, with very little, if any, public notice and input.
- Given it is outrageous for federal agencies to greenlight widespread industrial development, without site-by-site considerations, several organizations are considering suing the Army Corps of Engineers for issuing this permit in in violation of the Endangered Species Act and perhaps other existing law.
Hawai'i
- Offshore finfish farms made their debut in US waters in Hawai'i, with little economic viability or proven sustainable track record.
- In March 2017, a 10-year-old monk seal died due to entanglement in net pens at Blue Ocean Mariculture, which is the farm that NMFS used as a research project to expand OFF throughout Federal waters.
- Hukilau Foods was the oldest open-water finfish aquaculture operation in Hawai'i.
- It filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and pulled all its cages out of the water in 2012.
- A company diver was killed while working on an empty cage in May 2011 at the Hukilau site was cited for violating 19 of Hawai'i Occupational Safety and Health Division regulations, carrying a fine $50,000. Hukilau Foods had previously been sued for alleged workplace safety violations by a former employee who claimed he had not been provided with adequate diving gear and procedures – some of the same violations cited by HIOSH that lead to the death of another diver.
- Kona Blue Water Farms farmed Kona Kampachi off the Kona Coast of the Island of Hawai'i.
- In November 2011, Kona Blue Water Farms was dissolved and a new company, Kampachi Farms LLC fronted by Neil Sims, was formed to focus on research and development of aquaculture technology such as untethered cages.
- In 2009 a Galapagos shark attack released hundreds of the company’s farmed fish into the wild.And in January 2011, the company was charged for coral damage after it had dumped an experimental pen it was no longer using in the Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor on the western side of the Island of Hawai'i. 28 instances of coral damage were cited. The $13,500 fine was cut in half and eventually waived, allowing the company to use the monies instead to support coral conservation efforts.
- Two small aquaculture cages were lost at sea in March 2011 as part of an experiment in using untethered cages. Kona Blue Water Farms applied for and received a Special Coral Reef Ecosystem Fishing Permit in order to conduct an open ocean aquaculture operation in federal waters to raise fish in a cage towed by a boat largely floating with natural eddies. A lawsuit was filed both challenging the authority of NOAA to issue the permit and failure of the agency to adequately assess environmental impacts posed by the project. The lost cages were part of a dry-run for the experiment and had to be cut loose due to poor weather conditions.
- Safety was also a concern at the Kona Blue Water Site. In 2009, a fourth lawsuit alleging worker safety violations and injury at work was filed against the company.
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
- This federal agency, and more specifically NOAA Fisheries (aka National Marine Fisheries Service), is tasked with managing and conserving our nation’s wild fisheries.
- Unfortunately, a portion of it has been captured by corporate interests that seek to extract profit from our shared ocean resources by creating floating Concentrated Animal Feed Operations (CAFO)s in the sea.
- The agency supports both small-scale, community driven aquaculture AND large-scale corporate ocean grabs, which is problematic as the agency likes to conflate vastly different forms of aquatic animal husbandry as the same thing.
- The 5th Circuit Court has held that the agency does NOT have the authority to regulate fish farming in federal waters under the Magnuson Stevens Act in the Gulf of Mexico. (See Gulf Fishermens Ass’n v. Nat’l Marine Fisheries Serv., N. 19-30006, 2020 WL 4433100, at *1 (5th Cir. 3 August 2020).
- Nonetheless, the agency persists despite Congressional authority to do so, and claims its authority under the shaky legal foundation of Trump’s EO 13921.