The Catch Share Program - Essay Example

?December 4, The Honorable Sam Farr 100 W. Alisal Street Salinas, CA 93901 Dear Congressman Farr: As a resident of your district, and a voter, Iwanted to contact you about the issue of overfishing in California. A study of catch data that was reported in 2006 in the journal Science already forecasted that if fishing rates continue rapidly, “all the world's fisheries will have collapsed by the year 2048.” The same urgent problem applies in California, where overfishing has driven its sardines to extinction during the middle of the 1990s, while existing resources are experiencing undue pressure from high fishing demand from the populace. I am writing to urge you to support the Catch Share Program, which can help solve the overfishing problem. To provide an overview, the Environmental Defense Fund describes how it works: “Catch share program, also known as Limited Access Privilege Programs, is a program that tells each individual fisherman that the total amounts of allowance to catch in the fishery and those amounts of allowance is tradable to maximize fisherman’s profit” (“How Catch Shares Work”). It transforms fishing into a share system that promotes consideration of long-term profits versus the short-term profits of overfishing. My classmates and I have been conducting research on our proposal, and we considered its strengths and weaknesses. We realized that one of its weaknesses is lack of political support and leadership, which we hope that you, as our Representative, can provide. The advantages of this fishing program cannot be undermined: “With a secure share of the catch, fishermen no longer need to race: incentives change from spurring fishermen to capture the most fish they can, to spurring them to maximize the value of their share instead” (“How Catch Shares Work”). Fishers and companies will understand that they do not need the most number of fish, but the greatest efficient sharing that they can profit from. Moreover, the program aims to enable fishes to recuperate and to allow for steady demand. The Catch Share Program gives an incentive for fishers and fishing companies to wait because of higher future revenues. The result is sustainable fishing that benefits fishers, consumers, and the environment. Thus, the Catch Share Program maximizes profits, while minimizing the impact of fishing on our already strained marine resources. A win-win solution for overfishing problems that do not overlook the economic needs of fishers and fishing companies is presented through the Catch Share Program. California can set the benchmark for sustainable fisheries, which other states and nations can emulate. As overfishing continues, I urge you to take a stand for the environment and long-term sustainability of our fisheries. Without any viable program, it is not impossible that overfishing will push our fisheries to extinction for the next decades. You can propose a bill that adopts the Catch Share Program and help innovate how we fish and ensure the efficiency of our fishing industry. Thank you for your attention to this important matter. Sincerely, Your Name Your Title Your Address Your City, State, Zip Your Phone Number From a General Audience to the Representative: Shifting to Logos, Pathos, and Cause-And-Effect Analysis In writing the letter to our Representative, I realized the differences in what lay people want to hear and what a Congressperson wants to hear. A Representative is a politician. He has political motives that are connected to his self-interests, though he is mandated to serve the public interest. Californians want their local issues to be resolved, but they have diverse interests as individuals too. Because of the identity of my new target audience, I understood that successful persuasive writing is audience-focused, so I concentrated on what a Congressman wants to know, in order for him to take action. I made changes in my writing style, logos, pathos, and cause-and-effect analysis because of the differences in audience roles and responsibilities, and they are effective because they magnify the benefits of the Catch Share Program for California and how this can benefit the Representative as a politician too. The audience needs and expectations changed by responding to the differences in their roles and responsibilities and what they can do regarding the matter. For the first paper, the multimodal argument focused on the general public. The description approach is much more detailed because not many of them may be familiar with the Catch Share Program. As I explained in my essay analyzing our rhetorical strategies: “Knowing this will help people become comfortable with the idea of the program, since they know how it works, and they can explain it to others and their local lawmakers too.” Congressman Farr, however, may have an inkling of the program, but if not, the same description approach applies. Nevertheless, the letter must be brief and succinct because the Congressman might lose interest, so the description is minimized. In addition, I mentioned that the law can serve as an important benchmark. This wording can appeal to the politician in Representative Farr, who might have future political ambitions and needs popular lawmaking leverage to attain them. I changed my writing style by becoming more respectful of the social position of the audience. The heading has the word “Honorable.” I wanted to express my respect for Farr’s esteemed position and the power he has in making laws. My tone remained respectful and serious, but more empathic on what he can do for his constituents. Moreover, I made changes in word choice by not sounding too academic. I avoided sounding like a research paper and stressed the advantages of the program to California in a direct manner. Highlighting these advantages note that he possesses the power and responsibility to resolve overfishing. I changed my rhetoric strategies to description to cause-and-effect analysis and focused on the logos of the recommended action. I established credibility through mentioning that I am studying in college and that other students have conducted the same study. I focused more on emotions for the letter, although logos appeal is more highlighted. I adapted my multimodal argument to meet my new argument by focusing on the benefits of the Catch Share Program to California. I stressed that: “Fishers and companies will understand that they do not need the most number of fish, but the greatest efficient sharing that they can profit from.” By emphasizing this, the Representative will realizes that he can hit two birds with one stone- please the people and please the businesspeople. The cause-and-effect approach is also effective because it underlines what the Catch Share Program can offer to diverse stakeholders. Emphasis is further provided to what doing nothing will result to, which includes appeal to emotions. Changing the audience changes the persuasive style and some of the word choice and tone of the letter. Nonetheless, the same strong message remains, as well as the description of the program. Furthermore, pathos, logos, and cause-and-effect analysis worked together to accentuate the benefits of Catch Share Program. They are effective because the Representative will realize that this is not only good for his political ambitions, but more so, good for the people and the environment. Effective changes were applied on the letter, as it aims to influence a lawmaker and his thinking on the urgency of resolving overfishing and his role in this process. Read More