On his fourth day on the job, newly-appointed NOAA Fisheries Northeast Regional Administrator John Bullard joined Saving Seafood Executive Director Bob Vanasse on Saving Seafood Radio.
WASHINGTON — August 14, 2012 — John Bullard, former mayor of New Bedford, discusses his recent appointment to head the Northeast Regional Office of the National Marine Fisheries Service in Gloucester. The region encompasses the structurally complex large marine ecosystem from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
The interview took place during the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission summer meeting on August 9, 2012 in Alexandria, Virginia.
He addresses the groundfish crisis in the region, and his plan to consult stakeholders in the various fisheries problems facing the industry. He also discusses the role that such input will play as he shapes his plan for leading the office. Other topics that Mr. Bullard discusses in this segment include the original intent of the fishery management council system as envisioned in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, as well as distrust of government science and the severely strained relationship between fishermen and regulators.