Boat owner Jim Cook of the Hawaii Longline Association said Wednesday the settlement won’t affect their fleet, made up of about 700 foreign fishermen on about 140 boats. A broader solution has been proposed in Washington, where Hawaii’s elected officials are backing legislation that would allow foreign fishermen to come onshore when they’re not fishing. Hawaii’s foreign fishermen are generally paid a fraction of what other U.S. commercial fishing crews make, some receiving as little as 70 cents an hour while working up to 20 hours a day. Under the settlement, Nguyen must give fliers to his foreign crew members, written in their native languages, outlining their rights and ways to get help. “I feel more certainty after the settlement,” Fatah said in an email.

Source: thestar January 04, 2018 03:56 UTC