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Craig V. Sullivan,
Ph.D.
Department of Zoology
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Craig V. Sullivan,
Ph.D.
Department of Zoology
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Education
Research Interests
| My research program emphasizes the reproductive physiology and selective breeding of fishes, especially species important to fisheries and aquaculture. Capture fisheries make a major contribution to global supplies of animal protein available for human nutrition. Scientific fishery management requires that the reproductive biology of target species be well understood. It is important to acquire detailed knowledge of reproductive demographics, maturity schedules, and critical stages of reproduction and early development. All of these parameters are sensitive to anthropogenic and other influences, such as pollution or climate change. In the face of static yields or declines in fishery landings worldwide, aquaculture is increasingly important for sustaining human population growth. Half of the seafood consumed by adults of the next generation will be farmed. Acquiring reliable control of reproduction, the first step toward development of any candidate aquaculture species, requires detailed understanding of maturational processes and their regulation by environmental and endogenous factors. Domestication and selective breeding follows to produce a cultivar that can be farmed efficiently. The reproductive biology of all vertebrates was built upon blueprints established and refined by fishes. For this reason, fish reproduction also provides valuable model systems for basic research in biomedicine and agricultural biotechnology. |
Dr. Sullivan and domesticated female striped bass. |
For more information, see my research summary and list of publications.
Current Research Associates and Research Areas
Current Graduate Students and Theses Topics
Current Sponsored Projects
