BUSINESSMAN Richard Sasso has been appointed chairman of the Fisheries Advisory Board, established recently by Agriculture Minister Christopher Tufton.

The establishment of the new advisory board, recently approved by Cabinet, comes against the background of the agriculture ministry’s drive to upgrade the Fisheries Division to executive agency status, to better address challenges facing the industry.

In announcing Sasso’s appointment, Tufton said that the new board brings together a cross-section of persons with competence and decades of experience in the fishing industry, as well as in maritime and environmental issues.

“The collective knowledge of the board members will provide an invaluable resource for addressing the many challenges which are adversely affecting the sustainability of the industry, including the depletion of stock by over-fishing, poaching by foreign interests and the destruction of fish habitats,” Tufton said.

Sasso has been in the real estate business for over 20 years with active interest in the fishing industry.

“I have been involved in fishing almost all my life and have assisted fishermen from all walks of life,” Sasso said.

He said fishing should be treated as a proper industry “with adequate planning and direction rather than being left to drift”.

Other members of the Fisheries Advisory Board are:

. Dr Karl Aiken, lecturer in marine ecology at the University of the West Indies, Mona

. Rear Admiral Peter Brady, director general of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica;

. Douglas Golding, businessman, with a life-long association with the fishing industry;

. Peter Espeut, executive director of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation;

. Joe Mahfood, chairman of Wisynco Group Limited;

. Norman Campbell, managing director of Diving & Salvaging;

. Havelan Honeyghan, chairman of the Jamaica Fishermen’s Co-operative Union;

. Dwight Clacken, avid sports fishing enthusiast; and

. Nigel Black, who has been involved in commercial fishing for more than 15 years.