![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/john-bullard-garfo.jpg\")
John Bullard (NOAA photo)<\/p><\/div>\n
During his tenure, he faced the daunting New England groundfish crisis.\u00a0 Bullard met the challenge head on, making the tough and unpopular decision to impose emergency closures when the New England council failed to act.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know how difficult these issues are, and I tried to tackle them with courage and compassion,\u201d says Bullard.<\/p>\n
Bullard worked with Congress and state directors to deliver $32.8 million in disaster assistance to affected fishing families and communities.<\/p>\n
In close collaboration with the New England council, Bullard then put quotas and closures in place to protect cod and other depleted fish stocks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wish John well,\u201d said New England council executive director Tom Nies.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is always willing to work with the council to find management solutions \u2013 and empowers those around him to actively participate in the process, which is one of his key accomplishments. That may go unnoticed by many, but it is one of the reasons our council has been able to complete so many management actions during his tenure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bullard\u2019s leadership in protecting living marine resources included removing approximately 30,000 miles of rope from Atlantic coastal waters to reduce whale entanglements and expanding critical habitat for North Atlantic right whales in the region by more than 25,000 nautical miles.<\/p>\n
He also oversaw development of a strategy to restore river herring populations, imposed catch caps on mackerel and herring fisheries, and removed dams and created fish passages to double fish runs in key Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts rivers.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, John is an example of public service and more importantly, an example of working with stakeholders to have a positive impact on tough issues,\u201d said Dr. Jon Hare, science and research director at NOAA\u2019s Northeast Fisheries Science Center. \u201cI will miss working with him and am thankful for his time as regional administrator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bullard strongly supported groundbreaking actions created to bolster the Mid-Atlantic region\u2019s important recreational and commercial fisheries.<\/p>\n
In 2016, he approved the Mid-Atlantic council\u2019s deep-sea coral amendment that protects 15 deep-sea canyons and a total area of 24 million acres (about the size of Virginia) where fragile, slow-growing corals live. These hotspots of biodiversity provide important habitat, refuge, and prey for fish and other marine life.<\/p>\n
Bullard has also advanced an action to protect forage fish which serve as prey for larger fish, marine mammals, and sea birds. This would be the first ever action on the Atlantic coast to designate forage fish as important parts of the ecosystem and provide protection for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout his tenure as regional administrator, John has been an engaged and dedicated participant in the council process, and he has played an important role in increasing focus on the Mid-Atlantic portion of the Greater Atlantic Region,\u201d said Chris Moore, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis insight and leadership have been especially valuable to the Mid-Atlantic council during the development of several new initiatives such as the Deep Sea Corals Amendment, the Unmanaged Forage Fish Amendment, and the development of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bullard also led the charge to modernize access and sharing of fishery dependent data in cooperation with the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, the fishing industry, the councils, and the Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program.<\/p>\n
He championed electronic monitoring pilot projects on fishing vessels with partners in the industry and environmental non-government organizations (NGOs) to increase coverage and improve the data on which fisheries management science is based.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been an honor and pleasure to work with John. He has been a strong supporter of state\/federal cooperation in the management of our shared marine resources,\u201d said Bob Beal, executive director of ASMFC. \u201cWe are grateful for his contributions to sustainable management and wish him the very best.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud of the work I\u2019ve done with the GARFO team. They are intelligent, hard-working, and caring professionals, and I rely on them every day to make me smart on the many issues we face,\u201d said Bullard, who has no plans to slow down before he leaves.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is work left to do before I leave \u2013 very important work. Still on my list are the Omnibus Habitat Amendment, the New England council\u2019s Deep Sea Coral Amendment, some critical dam removals, electronic monitoring, the Carlos Rafael situation, the summer flounder crisis, and the continuing groundfish challenge, among others.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, once he does bid the agency goodbye, he plans to literally sail into the sunset, provided the weather is warm enough.<\/p>\n
The agency will launch a search for Bullard\u2019s replacement within the next several months.\u00a0 \/cfn\/<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n CLICK FOR FLIPBOOK<\/p><\/div>\n To get this complete story and much more, you’ll need to purchase the AUGUST 2017 issue of\u00a0Commercial Fisheries News. \u2022 BUY a Single PRINT edition of CFN that is delivered by MAIL.\u00a0PRINT EDITION<\/a> \u2022 Quickly enjoy ONLINE access with our Hi-DEF flip-book.\u00a0<\/strong>PURCHASE THIS ONLINE EDITION<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 \u00a0Shop the\u00a0Online ARCHIVE<\/a><\/p>\n (Read online flip-book immediately with purchased access key and download a copy for yourself to keep. \u00a0Not sure if it works for you? Try a\u00a0FREE SAMPLE HERE<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/fish-news.com\/cfn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/CFN-8-17-cover-243x300.jpg\")
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