Mark Gaikowski
Mark Gaikowski holds a M.A. and a B.S. in Biology from the University of South Dakota.
Mark has served as the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey's Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center since 2014. As Director, Mark is responsible for leading research scientists based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, whose work spans scales from the molecular level to continental modeling.
Before becoming Center Director at UMESC, Mark was a supervisory biologist and branch chief of a research branch at UMESC focused primarily on management of aquatic invasive species and the development of drugs and chemicals used in aquaculture and fisheries management. Prior to that, Mark was a research physiologist at UMESC leading studies to assess the efficacy, animal safety, human food safety and environmental safety of aquaculture drugs. Mark's research supported the approval of three new drugs for use in U.S. aquaculture and supported expanded drug labels of two other drugs. His professional interests include understanding the impact and management of biological threats in natural and managed systems and the toxicology and pharmacology of exogenous compounds in fish and other aquatic organisms.
Science and Products
Depletion of florfenicol amine in tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) maintained in a recirculating aquaculture system following Aquaflor®-medicated feed therapy
Environmental DNA calibration study. Interim technical review report
Persistence of DNA in carcasses, slime and avian feces may affect interpretation of environmental DNA data
Confocal microscopy as a useful approach to describe gill rakers of Asian species of carp and native filter-feeding fishes of the upper Mississippi River system
Florfenicol residues in Rainbow Trout after oral dosing in recirculating and flow-through culture systems
Effectiveness of Aquaflor (50% florfenicol) administered in feed to control mortality associated with Streptococcus iniae in tilapia at a commercial tilapia production facility
Depletion of eugenol residues from the skin-on fillet tissue of rainbow trout exposed to 14C-labeled eugenol
Fathead minnow and bluegill sunfish life-stage responses to 17β-estradiol exposure in outdoor mesocosms
Spatial and temporal variation of the gill rakers of gizzard shad and silver carp in three Midwestern rivers
Fish gut microbiota analysis differentiates physiology and behavior of invasive Asian carp and indigenous American fish
Detection of environmental DNA of Bigheaded Carps in samples collected from selected locations in the St. Croix River and in the Mississippi River
Feeding response of sport fish after electrical immobilization, chemical sedation, or both
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 72
Depletion of florfenicol amine in tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) maintained in a recirculating aquaculture system following Aquaflor®-medicated feed therapy
Aquaflor® [50% w w−1 florfenicol (FFC)], is approved for use in freshwater‐reared warmwater finfish which include tilapia Oreochromis spp. in the United States to control mortality from Streptococcus iniae. The depletion of florfenicol amine (FFA), the marker residue of FFC, was evaluated after feeding FFC‐medicated feed to deliver a nominal 20 mg FFC kg−1 BW d−1 dose (1.33× the label use of 15 mgAuthorsMark P. Gaikowski, Melissa K. Whitsel, Shawn Charles, Susan M. Schleis, Louis S. Crouch, Richard G. EndrisEnvironmental DNA calibration study. Interim technical review report
Invasive aquatic nuisance species pose a major threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Invasive Asian carps, including bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and silver carp (H. molitrix) have been steadily dispersing upstream through the Mississippi, Illinois, and Des Plaines Rivers since the 1990s. To prevent further movement up the Illinois River into the Chicago Area Waterway System (CAWS,AuthorsK. Baerwaldt, Meredith L. Bartron, K. Schilling, Debbie Lee, Edmond Russo, Trudy Estes, Richard Fischer, Beth Fleming, Michael P. Guilfoyle, K. Jack Kilgore, Richard Lance, Edward Perkins, Martin Schultz, David Smith, Jon J. Amberg, Duane Chapman, Mark P. Gaikowski, Katy E. Klymus, Catherine A. RichterPersistence of DNA in carcasses, slime and avian feces may affect interpretation of environmental DNA data
The prevention of non-indigenous aquatic invasive species spreading into new areas is a goal of many resource managers. New techniques have been developed to survey for species that are difficult to capture with conventional gears that involve the detection of their DNA in water samples (eDNA). This technique is currently used to track the invasion of bigheaded carps (silver carp and bighead carp;AuthorsChristopher M. Merkes, S. Grace McCalla, Nathan R. Jensen, Mark P. Gaikowski, Jon J. AmbergConfocal microscopy as a useful approach to describe gill rakers of Asian species of carp and native filter-feeding fishes of the upper Mississippi River system
To better understand potential diet overlap among exotic Asian species of carp and native species of filter-feeding fishes of the upper Mississippi River system, microscopy was used to document morphological differences in the gill rakers. Analysing samples first with light microscopy and subsequently with confocal microscopy, the three-dimensional structure of gill rakers in Hypophthalmichthys moAuthorsLiza R. Walleser, D.R. Howard, Mark B. Sandheinrich, Mark P. Gaikowski, Jon J. AmbergFlorfenicol residues in Rainbow Trout after oral dosing in recirculating and flow-through culture systems
Aquaflor is a feed premix for fish containing the broad spectrum antibacterial agent florfenicol (FFC) incorporated at a ratio of 50% (w/w). To enhance the effectiveness of FFC for salmonids infected with certain isolates of Flavobacterium psychrophilum causing coldwater disease, the FFC dose must be increased from the standard 10 mg·kg−1 body weight (BW)·d−1 for 10 consecutive days. A residue depAuthorsJeffery R. Meinertz, Karina R. Hess, Jeffry A. Bernady, M. P. Gaikowski, Melissa Whitsel, R. G. EndrisEffectiveness of Aquaflor (50% florfenicol) administered in feed to control mortality associated with Streptococcus iniae in tilapia at a commercial tilapia production facility
The efficacy of Aquaflor (florfenicol; FFC) to control mortality caused by Streptococcus iniae in tilapia was evaluated under field conditions. The trial was initiated following presumptive diagnosis of S. iniae infection in a mixed group of fingerling (mean, 4.5 g) Nile Tilapia Oreochromis niloticus and a hybrid of Nile Tilapia×Blue Tilapia O. aureus. Diagnoses included mortality in source tank;AuthorsMark P. Gaikowski, Susan M. Schleis, Eric Leis, Becky A. Lasee, Richard G. EndrisDepletion of eugenol residues from the skin-on fillet tissue of rainbow trout exposed to 14C-labeled eugenol
The U.S. is lagging in access to an approved immediate-release sedative, i.e. a compound that can be safely and effectively used to sedate fish and has no withdrawal period. AQUI-S® 20E (10% active ingredient, eugenol) is under investigation as an immediate-release sedative for freshwater finfish. Because of its investigational status, data are needed to characterize the depletion, distribution, aAuthorsJeffery R. Meinertz, Theresa M. Schreier, Scott T. Porcher, Justin Smerud, Mark P. GaikowskiFathead minnow and bluegill sunfish life-stage responses to 17β-estradiol exposure in outdoor mesocosms
Developmental and reproductive effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) exposure on two generations of fathead minnows and one generation of bluegill sunfish were assessed. Fish were exposed to E2 for six continuous weeks in outdoor mesocosms simulating natural lake environments. First generation fish were exposed while sexually mature. Second generation fathead minnows were exposed either during early develAuthorsSarah M. Elliott, Richard L. Kiesling, Zachary G. Jorgenson, Daniel C. Rearick, Heiko L. Schoenfuss, Kim T. Fredricks, Mark P. GaikowskiSpatial and temporal variation of the gill rakers of gizzard shad and silver carp in three Midwestern rivers
Improved management of invasive Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix in the upper Mississippi River basin may be possible by better understanding the feeding abilities of this population. Food collection for filter-feeding fishes, such as Silver Carp, is influenced by the species-specific structure of their gill rakers. To investigate structural variation in gill rakers of Silver Carp, the morpAuthorsLiza R. Walleser, Mark B. Sandheinrich, David R. Howard, Mark P. Gaikowski, Jon J. AmbergFish gut microbiota analysis differentiates physiology and behavior of invasive Asian carp and indigenous American fish
Gut microbiota of invasive Asian silver carp (SVCP) and indigenous planktivorous gizzard shad (GZSD) in Mississippi river basin were compared using 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing. Analysis of more than 440 000 quality-filtered sequences obtained from the foregut and hindgut of GZSD and SVCP revealed high microbial diversity in these samples. GZSD hindgut (GZSD_H) samples (n=23) with >7000 operationaAuthorsLin Ye, Jon J. Amberg, Duane Chapman, Mark P. Gaikowski, Wen-Tso LiuDetection of environmental DNA of Bigheaded Carps in samples collected from selected locations in the St. Croix River and in the Mississippi River
The use of molecular methods, such as the detection of environmental deoxyribonucleic acid (eDNA), have become an increasingly popular tool in surveillance programs that monitor for the presence of invasive species in aquatic systems. One early application of these methods in aquatic systems was surveillance for DNA of Asian carps (specifically bighead carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and silver caAuthorsJon J. Amberg, S. Grace McCalla, Loren Miller, Peter Sorensen, Mark P. GaikowskiFeeding response of sport fish after electrical immobilization, chemical sedation, or both
Fishery managers frequently capture wild fish for a variety of fishery management activities. Though some activities can be accomplished without immobilizing the fish, others are accomplished more readily, humanely, and safely (for both the handler and the fish) when fish are immobilized by physical (e.g., electrical immobilization) or chemical sedation. A concern regarding the use of chemical sedAuthorsJeffery R. Meinertz, Kim T. Fredricks, Ryan D. Ambrose, Leanna M. Jackan, Jeremy K. Wise - Science
- Data
- News