Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 8, 1 August 1995 — Fishermen's association looks to pull in new members [ARTICLE]

Fishermen's association looks to pull in new members

The Native Hawaiian Fishermen's Association is seeking interested individuals in their statewide membership drive. NHFA will be a non-profit organization (approval of 50 1 (c)3 status is currently pending). The organization has been formed to work for the interests of the commercial and recreational fishermen of Hawai'i. Plans include forming fish markets, auction blocks and iee houses on eaeh island. offering discounts, creating jobs and strengthening the rights of loeal fishermen in Hawaiian waters. President and founder Harold Meheula, Sr. stressed that members will own this organization and that no politics will be involved in the association's affairs. Meheula is a longtime fisherman and chairman of the fishing panel of the Kāne'ohe Bay Regional Council, representing fishing interests in the bay. Meheula says the organization is looking to enroll

100,000 members, to lobby for Iaws that support the fishermen of Hawai'i. He says, "Foreign fishing vessels are in our fishing grounds from Hawai'i to Midway Island, devastating our fishing grounds. Why? Because our fishing boats are not able to go beyond 25 miles and back due to fuel capacity. The fish are being caught 75 to 150 miles out by foreign vessels, enabling them to take most of the fish before federal law enforcement authorities are notified of the violations of the 200-mile territorial zone." NHFA requires members to be U.S. citizens and Hawai'i residents. Membership applieaūon forms are available at your loeal OHA office (note; OHA is not affiliated with NHFA). Fishermen who have received appliealion forms, please send them to: Native Hawaiian Fishermen's Association, P.O. Box 10748, Honolulu, HI 96816.