Michael G. Sullivan is a Canadian biologist specializing in fisheries, wildlife and land use management. He is known for his role in the active recovery of Alberta's collapsed walleye population. He currently serves as the provincial fish science specialist for

Alberta Environment and Parks The Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas of Alberta (also commonly called Alberta Environment and Protected Areas) is the Alberta provincial ministry of the Executive Council of Alberta responsible for environmental issues and policy as we ...

Biography

Career

In 1983, Sullivan started as a junior biologist with the

Government of Alberta The Government of Alberta () is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. In modern Canadian use, the term ''Government of Alberta'' refers specifically to the executive� ...

. He currently serves as the provincial fish science specialist for

. His main area of expertise is in fisheries management, but he has also contributed to caribou studies and management in Alberta and British Columbia. He was part of the team that worked on restoring Alberta's collapsed walleye populations In the mid-1990s Sullivan began serving as an advisor to

Parks Canada Parks Canada ()Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 37 National Parks, three National Marine Co ...

. in the western national parks. He has is a member of the North American Journal of Fisheries Management Editorial board and currently sits as the associate editor. He is adjunct professor both at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

and Royal Roads University, where he has acted as a supervisor to graduate students. He serves on various projects at the ALCES, a group which provides landuse and resource solutions

Significant contributions

Sullivan was part of the team that helped restore Alberta fish populations for traditional use. Native fish in Alberta were over-harvested for decades, and walleye, pike, whitefish, etc. populations are still recovering. Since Alberta is somewhat scarce in waterbodies compared to the rest of Canada (estimated 315 anglers per lake, compared to 2 in SK, 2 in MN, and 6 in ON), and has a relatively short fishing season, the fisheries are vulnerable. Sullivan was part of the team of biologists at the

that came up with a framework with 4 main management objectives related to: i) first nations, ii) ecosystem iii) fish habitat and iv) recreation fisheries Sullivan also reaches many people through the news, online videos and community meetings

Honours

In 2019, Sullivan received the Award of Excellence from the Fisheries Management Section. of the

American Fisheries Society The American Fisheries Society (established 1870 in New York City), is the "world’s oldest and largest organization dedicated to strengthening the fisheries profession, advancing fisheries science, and conserving fisheries resources." It is a mem ...

. In 2015 he received the Alberta Chapter of Wildlife Outreach Award

Volunteerism

Through his career with the Alberta Government, Sullivan has completed numerous occupational health and safety training courses. These safety training courses are applied volunteering at local events and as a volunteer member of the

Canadian Ski Patrol The Canadian Ski Patrol (French: ''Patrouille canadienne de ski'') is a national, non-profit, registered charitable organization that is volunteer-based and provides advanced first aid and emergency response services at more than 230 ski resorts ...

. He volunteers at the River Edge Ultra Running Race, a 100 km running race near

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

where runners wade to an island on the

North Saskatchewan River The North Saskatchewan River is a glacier-fed river that flows from the Canadian Rockies continental divide east to central Saskatchewan, where it joins with the South Saskatchewan River to make up the Saskatchewan River. Its water flows event ...

, requiring (potential) river rescuers

Selected publications

Journal publications

* * * * * Macpherson, Laura, Sullivan, Michael G., Foote, Lee and Stevens, Cameron E. 2011. “How Road Networks Affect Stream Fish Assemblages.” In proceedings of the ''American Fisheries Society 140th Annual Meeting''. * * * * * *

Textbook publications

* Sullivan, Michael G., Propst, David, and Gould, Bill. 2009 �
Fish of the Rockies: including best fishing sites
” Edmonton, AB: ''Lone Pine Publishing'' * Joynt, Amanda, and Sullivan, Michael G. 2003. �

�� Edmonton, AB: ''Lone Pine Publishing''

References and links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Michael G. Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Fisheries scientists Canadian marine biologists 20th-century Canadian biologists University of Alberta alumni Academic staff of the University of Alberta Academic staff of the Royal Roads University