• Full members shall be individuals who are or have been engaged in a branch of fisheries research and who either possess appropriate academic qualifications or because of knowledge and experience occupy positions that ordinarily would, in the opinion of Council, require academic qualifications. Full members who sign this Constitution are the Charter members of the Society;
• Student members shall be individuals who are studying relevant subjects at the post-secondary level and have not yet completed their award requirements;
• Associate members shall be individuals who are interested in the objectives of the Society, but do not qualify for full membership.
• Honorary Membership may be conferred upon an individual by virtue of distinguished professional achievements in a field of fisheries science or meritorious service to the Society. Such membership may be recommended by Council and conferred by approval of a majority two-thirds of the full members present at a General Assembly;
• Sustaining members shall be those companies or organizations which support the objectives of the Society;
• Institutional members shall be those institutions which support the objectives of the Society;
• Patrons shall be those persons who support the objectives of the Society.

• A person who is nominated and approved for membership as provided in the Constitution is eligible to be a member of the Society on payment of the entrance fee prescribed in, or fixed under, Article XXXII.
• A nomination of a person for membership of the Society shall be made in the prescribed form and shall be signed by two full members of the Society having personal knowledge of the nominee.
• The application shall the n be lodged with the Secretary of the Society through the Secretariat office.
• As soon as is practicable after the receipt of a nomination, the Secretary shall refer the application to any two of the members of the Executive Committee for approval.
• Upon approval, the nominee shall be notified in writing, that he has been approved for membership of the Society and, upon receipt of the entrance fee payable by or on behalf of the nominee, shall enter the nominee's name in a register of members, whereupon the nominee becomes a member of the Society.
• Honorary membership shall be conferred on a person nominated by Council and elected by a two-thirds majority of the full members present at the General Assembly.

During the AFS Triennial General Meeting held in conjunction with the Third Asian Fisheries Forum in Singapore in October 1992, the Council was given a mandate by the members to require annual membership dues. It was agreed that with the growth of the Society, the members should take responsibility for nurturing the Journal and providing financial support.

The Council has decided that beginning 1994, the Society will collect annual membership dues. The dues have been determined by country, based on GNP* -- since the members of the Society come from more than 70 countries and territories which vary in their GNP.

* Please refer to membership categories based on GNP

To facilitate collection, please pay by check (drawn on a US-based bank) in US dollars directly to the Secretariat in Malaysia, (c/o The Executive Officer, Asian Fisheries Society, c/o Laboratory Marine Science & Aquaculture, Institute of Bioscience, University Putra Malaysia 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia. Tel: (+60-03) 8947 2216; Fax: (+60-03) 8947 2217; E-mail: info@asianfisheriessociety.org ) or pay its equivalent in your local currency to the AFS contact in your country. Payment can be made annually or for any number of years. A discount of 5% and 10% will be given to members who pay in advance for three and six consecutive years, respectively.

Please refer to membership application forms

• A free subscription to Asian Fisheries Science E-journal
• Special rates for registration to the Asian Fisheries Forum or Branch/Section meetings and meetings of affiliate societies like the World Aquaculture Society (WAS), Malaysian Fisheries Society (MFS) and China Society of Fisheries