The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District looks set to offer its top job to Jack Crider, formerly the executive director of the Port of Astoria. The move comes roughly a year after the district abruptly fired its previous chief executive officer, David Hull for reasons unstated.

Crider, a former fish biologist and seafood entrepreneur, resigned his post in Astoria late last month to much disappointment, reports the Daily Astorian. Commissioners at that port highly praise Crider’s talent in the Astorian piece, citing his work bringing new business to the port as well as his environmental remediation efforts.

“I think we’ve had a very first rate guy in a very tough job,” the Coast River Journal quotes Port of Astoria Commissioner Jack Bland as saying. “This guy has taken the port from a very low point to doing some exciting things.”

The Journal also conveys that Crider’s move was sparked by his family’s wish to “someplace sunnier, possibly in California.”

The position pays $110,000 per year. Read the agenda for the Harbor District’s Thursday meeting at this link. Warning: massive PDF.

Hull, meanwhile, is currently operating a consultancy called David Hull & Associates, which is leading the efforts to build a brand-new railroad route to the Central Valley. The Trinity Journal recently reported that Hull has been pitching the idea to elected officials in the paper’s area.