July 12, 2017 — John Bullard, NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Administrator, formally announced Wednesday that he will retire on Jan. 5.
“We wish John well,” New England Council Executive Director Tom Nies said in a statement. “He is always willing to work with the council to find management solutions and empowers those around him to actively participate in the process, which is one of his key accomplishments.”
Bullard took the post in July 2012. It followed positions including mayor of New Bedford, a spot within the Clinton administration and president of Sea Education Association.
“As the former mayor of New Bedford, Bullard brought with him a unique connection to the fishing industry, and used that connection to improve communication with all aspects of the industry and Congress during a very challenging period for the agency,” said Sam Rauch, NOAA Fisheries deputy assistant administrator for regulatory programs in a statement.
NOAA will launch a search for Bullard’s replacement within the next several months.
After Bullard’s announcement, NOAA praised his accomplishments during his five years with he organization.
Bullard helped manage 44 fish stocks, including scallop and lobster, which are worth $500 million each, NOAA said.
During his tenure, he oversaw efforts to reduce entanglements for marine life in the Atlantic Ocean and helped develop strategies to repopulate rivers in New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts.
In 2016, he approved the Mid-Atlantic Council’s deep-sea coral amendment, which protected 15 deep-sea canyons totaling 24 million acres.
“John is an example of public service and more importantly, an example of working with stakeholders to have a positive impact on tough issues,” said Dr. Jon Hare, science and research director at NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center, in a statement. “I will miss working with him and am thankful for his time as regional administrator.”