Fish School #3: How do I talk to elected officials about fish?
Pick up the phone TODAY.
This week is the 2025 Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW), hosted by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. CHOW is the premier annual marine, coastal, and Great Lakes policy conference.
The coolest thing about this conference is that it starts with CHOW Hill Day. The conference organizers provide a toolkit, and invite attendees to go to Capitol Hill, directly engage with their congressional representatives, and ask them to take action to support our oceans and fisheries. We love this day because it is active! The day gives participants the well-supported chance to practice civic engagement.
For this Fish School post, we’re reminding you to use your voice. Speak up to your elected officials, at the city, state and federal level, about issues you care about.
Below, we’ve weaved together a few guides to help you successfully advocate for any issue that is important to you. You’re a Fish Forward reader, so we hope healthy fishing communities and oceans are on the list!
If you feel inspired, today is a great day to reach out to your representatives to ask them to fund U.S. climate and weather science. Climate and weather science are critical for keeping fishermen safe on the water, and helping coastal communities continually adapt in our changing world. If you call today, your call adds to the voices of people on the ground in DC speaking to their elected officials about ocean and coastal issues.
Who should I talk to?
Find your U.S. Senators based on your state.
Find your U.S. Representative based on your zip code.
If the issue you’re interested in is at the city or state level, look to those governments to figure out who to contact. Organizations like 5 Calls tell you both the DC and local office numbers for the representatives in your region.
If you’re able to connect in person, you’ll need to set up a meeting. The CHOW Hill Day toolkit provides example text that you can use to work with your representative’s staff to set up a time to meet.
What should I say?
Guides about speaking to representatives recommend the following:
Identify yourself. Tell whoever you speak to your name and where you’re from, or explain how you/your organization are connected to the region the official represents.
Say thanks! If appropriate, offer gratitude for past support the official or their staff have offered on the issue.
Tell a personal story. Tell the official how this issue touches the lives of you and the people you care about.
Share 2-3 key points about the issue. Offer points that explain your greatest concern. Support the points with data (you can add articles, photos, etc. if you’re meeting in person).
End with a CLEAR ASK. The CHOW Toolkit lists the following example requests that you can make to an elected official:
Vote “yes” or “no” on a piece of legislation;
Introduce legislation on a specific topic;
Co-sponsor existing legislation;
Support funding for a program.
Follow up - Send a follow-up email to reiterate what you said in your call or meeting.
Did you call yet? What ocean issues did you ask your elected officials to support?