John K. Bullard, former mayor of New Bedford, has been named the new Northeast Regional Administrator for the NOAA Fisheries Service, an appointment hailed by members of the local fishing industry. The regional administrator is responsible for overseeing federal fisheries from Canada to Cape Hatteras, N.C., and Bullard is replacing Patricia Kurkul who retired at the end of 2011.
The announcement marks a return to government service for Bullard, who from 1993-98 led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Sustainable Development and Intergovernmental Affairs during the Clinton administration.
Speaking to his vision for the task ahead, Bullard described key elements critical to regulating fisheries.
"Science is the foundation of everything," he said. "You use that to build responsible management plans and that's what I'll be involved in. And then there's enforcement where there's been problems."
The challenge is to combine these into something that serves the industry both today and for future generations, he said.
"That's not easy," Bullard said. "It's not often that you have win-win situations in fishery management."
The headquarters of the Northeast regional office is located in Gloucester and Bullard, who retired Friday as president of the nonprofit Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, said he will look for an apartment there prior to taking up his duties in early August.
"We don't want to lose our New Bedford connections, but the job is in Gloucester and it's too far to commute," he said.