Michael G. Sullivan | |
|---|---|
| Education | PhD, University of Alberta; BS and MS University of Alberta; |
| Organization(s) | Alberta Environment and Parks, Government of Alberta (Fisheries Science Specialist); Parks Canada (advisor); North American Journal of Fisheries Management (Associate Editor); University of Alberta (Adjunct professor); Royal Roads University (Adjunct Professor)Contents |
| Known for | Fisheries, wildlife and landuse management, fish conservation, human impact on aquatic ecosystems |
Michael G. Sullivan is a Canadian biologist specializing in fisheries, [1] [2] [3] wildlife and land use management. [4] He is known for his role in the active recovery of Alberta's collapsed walleye population. [5] [3] [2] [1] He currently serves as the provincial fish science specialist for Alberta Environment and Protected Areas [6]
In 1983, Sullivan started as a junior biologist with the Government of Alberta. [1] He currently serves as the provincial fish science specialist for Alberta Environment and Protected Areas. [6] His main area of expertise is in fisheries management, [2] but he has also contributed to caribou studies and management [4] in Alberta and British Columbia. He was part of the team that worked on restoring Alberta's collapsed walleye populations [7] [8] [9]
In the mid-1990s Sullivan began serving as an advisor to Parks Canada. [10] [1] in the western national parks. He has been a member of the North American Journal of Fisheries Management Editorial board [11] , serving two terms as the associate editor. [11] Sullivan is adjunct professor at several universities including the University of Alberta [12] , Simon Fraser University and Royal Roads University, where he has acted as a supervisor to graduate students. [13] Sullivan has delivered lectures in several programs at those universities as well as being an invited lecturer at NAIT and the University of Calgary. Sullivan also serves on various projects at the ALCES, a group which provides landuse and resource solutions [13]
Sullivan was part of the team that helped restore Alberta fish populations to support sustainable harvest by traditional use and recreational fisheries. [8] Native fish in Alberta were over-harvested for decades. Many species including walleye, pike, whitefish, yellow perch and lake trout have populations that are still recovering. [9] Since Alberta is somewhat scarce in waterbodies compared to the rest of Canada with relatively high fishing effort (estimated 315 anglers per lake, compared to 2 in SK, 2 in MN, and 6 in ON), [9] and has a relatively short fishing season, [7] [9] the fisheries are vulnerable to overharvest. [7] [9] Sullivan was part of the team of biologists at the Government of Alberta that developed an adaptive management framework consisting of four main management objectives [8] [9] related to: i) first nations, ii) ecosystem iii) fish habitat and iv) recreation fisheries [7] [9] informed by the Fish Sustainability Index, a "report card" approach to assessing the resiliency and sustainability of fish stocks by assessing several key metrics, relying on data collected by standardized sampling methods.
Sullivan’s broader contributions are diverse and reflect his passion for fisheries science. These activities include helping shape policy frameworks linking First Nations objectives, ecosystem health, and recreational fisheries. Sullivan regularly participates in public science communication through news stories, [14] [15] [16] [17] [5] [18] [19] [20] [21] online videos [8] , community meetings [22] [23] [24] , lectures, government updates, and collaborative outreach on many important topics like native trout fishery recovery.
Through his career with the Alberta Government, Sullivan has completed numerous occupational health and safety training courses. [28] These safety training courses are applied volunteering at local events and as a volunteer member of the Canadian Ski Patrol. [29] He volunteers at the River Edge Ultra Running Race, [30] a 100 km running race near Devon where runners wade to an island on the North Saskatchewan River, requiring (potential) river rescuers [31]