[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 149 (Thursday, September 11, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H4255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING JOEL KAWAHARA

  (Ms. RANDALL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. RANDALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Joel Kawahara, a 70-
year-old commercial fisherman who represented the very best of our 
maritime community.
  In August, Joel was lost at sea while doing what he loved the most, 
which was fishing for salmon in the Pacific.
  Joel wasn't just a fisherman. He was the 2009 National Fisherman's 
Highliner of the Year, known up and down the West Coast for the 
exceptional quality of his catch.
  What truly set Joel apart was his unwavering commitment to 
conservation. For over 30 years, he served on the Save Our Wild Salmon 
coalition. He would cut his own fishing trips short to attend policy 
meetings. The last time I saw him, while walking through the boatyard 
in Port Townsend, he stopped working on the Karolee to talk to me about 
NOAA and how important it was to protect.
  Friends remember his infectious laugh at beach parties and his 
generous spirit. He put his family's 80-acre property in a conservation 
easement. He understood that caring for the land means caring for the 
fish and caring for the fish means caring for future generations of 
fishermen.
  Mr. Speaker, Joel showed us that a well-lived life is one spent 
fighting for what we believe in while lifting up our community along 
the way. We honor Joel's memory and his legacy of service to our waters 
and our way of life.

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