AFMA Managing Director Richard McLoughlin resigns

Australian Fisheries Management Authority Managing Director Mr Richard McLoughlin has resigned and will leave the Authority on 5 April 2007.

The AFMA Board accepted Richard’s resignation and thanked him for directing AFMA and the Commonwealth fisheries it manages through a period of significant change and progress. 

The Board agreed that the combination of AFMA’s changed management measures and the Australian Government’s buyout program had transformed the operating environment for Commonwealth fisheries, and that Richard has made a significant personal contribution to this outcome.  While much remains to be done the Board believes that sufficient progress has been made to be confident that long term benefits of these reforms will be evident by the end of this decade.

During the period of Richard’s tenure AFMA has:

• Substantially achieved the policy and management outcomes sought by the Board and the Government to deliver sustainable Commonwealth fisheries in the coming years, including implementation of the Ministerial Direction to cease overfishing;

• Responded in an outstanding way to the increased incidence and threat of foreign illegal fishing in northern Australia and the Government’s requirement for an improved enforcement and detention/repatriation response; and

• Restored its financial stability following a series of successful submissions to the Government and adoption of a revised cost recovery policy.

Richard indicated to the Board that after a long career in fisheries management and the intense period of change in his role as Managing Director he wanted to pursue new career challenges.

Dr Nick Rayns will act as Managing Director from 6 April pending a permanent appointment which the Board will be hoping to make as soon as possible.

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