Michael G. Sullivan


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 Protected Areas

Biography

Career

In 1983, Sullivan started as a junior biologist with the Government of Alberta. He currently serves as the provincial fish science specialist for Alberta Environment and Protected Areas. 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. in the western national parks. He has been a member of the North [American Journal of Fisheries Management] Editorial board, serving two terms as the associate editor. Sullivan is adjunct professor at several universities including the University of Alberta, and Royal Roads University, where he has acted as a supervisor to graduate students. 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

Significant contributions

Sullivan was part of the team that helped restore Alberta fish populations to support sustainable harvest by traditional use and recreational fisheries. 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. Since Alberta is somewhat scarce in waterbodies compared to the rest of Canada with relatively high fishing effort first nations, ii) ecosystem iii) fish habitat and iv) recreation fisheries 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, online videos  , community meetings, lectures, government updates, and collaborative outreach on many important topics like native trout fishery recovery.

Honours

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. He volunteers at the River Edge Ultra Running Race, a 100 km running race near Devon where runners wade to an island on the North Saskatchewan River, requiring river rescuers

Selected publications

Journal publications

  • Cahill, C. L., Walters, C. J., Paul, A. J., Sullivan, M. G., & Post, J. R.. Unveiling the recovery dynamics of Walleye after the invisible collapse. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 79, 708-723.https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2021-0065
  • Paul, A. J., Cahill, C. L., MacPherson, L., Sullivan, M. G., & Brown, M. R.. Are Alberta’s Northern Pike Populations at Risk from Walleye Recovery?. North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 41, 399-409. https://doi.org/10.1002/nafm.10520
  • Joubert, B. A., Sullivan, M. G., Kissinger, B. C., & Meinke, A. T.. Can smartphones kill Trout? Mortality of memorable-sized Bull Trout after photo-releases. Fisheries Research, 223, 105458.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2019.105458
  • MacPherson, L., Sullivan, M., Reilly, J., & Paul, A.. Alberta's fisheries sustainability assessment: a guide to assessing population status, and quantifying cumulative effects using the joe modelling technique. Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat.
  • Patterson, W. F., & Sullivan, M. G.. Testing and refining the assumptions of put-and-take rainbow trout fisheries in Alberta. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 18, 340-354.
  • 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.
  • Sullivan, M. G.. Population regulation of northern pike in an unexploited lake in Northern Saskatchewan. https://ualberta.scholaris.ca/bitstreams/3f4a5420-3b71-48d7-aad4-b60d56743742/download

Textbook publications

  • van Poorten, B.T., M.G. Sullivan, T. Godin, E. Parkinson, T.D. Davies, and J.R. Post. 2023. "Status and Management of Freshwater Fisheries Resources in Western Canada ". Pages 139-176 in C.T. HAsler, J.G. Imhof, N.E. Mandrak, and S.J. Cooke, editors. Freshwater fisheries in Canada: historical and contemporary perspectives on the resources and their management. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland.
  • Sullivan, Michael G. 2019. "Case Study - Walleye". 293-299. In Schneider, R.R.,. Biodiversity conservation in Canada: from theory to practice. The Canadian Center for the Translation of Ecology. Edmonton, AB.
  • Sullivan, Michael G., Propst, David, and Gould, Bill. 2009 “.” Edmonton, AB: Lone Pine Publishing
  • Foote, A. L., and M. G. Sullivan. 2005. "The future of wildlife and fisheries management in Alberta: the promise in our young biologists". 409 – 411. In P Rowell and M. J. Pybus. Fish, fur and feathers: fish and wildlife conservation in Alberta 1905 – 2005. Fish and Wildlife Historical Society and Federation of Alberta Naturalists, Edmonton, AB.
  • Joynt, Amanda, and Sullivan, Michael G. 2003. “” Edmonton, AB: ''Lone Pine Publishing''