NEW BEDFORD — New Bedford's John Bullard is among the applicants for the position of Northeast regional administrator at the National Marine Fisheries Service, headquartered in Gloucester. The regional office's jurisdiction extends along the East Coast from Maine to North Carolina and its responsibilities include planning and implementing fishery management programs as well as the conservation of fish stocks and habitat.
The administrator is also a voting member on the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils.
Bullard, a former New Bedford mayor, has been at the helm of the nonprofit Sea Education Association in Woods Hole for the past 10 years but recently announced he plans to retire in June from his position as president.
The job opening was created with the retirement at the end of 2011 of Patricia Kurkul, who served as regional administrator for 13 years.
"NOAA reached out to the Northeast communities to encourage as many people as possible to apply," said Monica Allen of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's public affairs office in Washington. Daniel Morris, the assistant regional administrator, is currently serving as acting administrator.
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