Unit Leader - Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit
Research Interests
Mark's research interests include fisheries ecology and management, population dynamics, and ecological modeling. He has studied fisheries in sub-tropical and temperate lakes and reservoirs, the Laurentian Great Lakes, and Australian rivers.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2015-Present Unit Leader, Tennessee Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN
2011-2015 Research Fishery Biologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, Lake Erie Biological Station, Sandusky, OH
2010-2011 Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, MI
2007-2010 Post-doctoral Researcher, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
2003-2007 Alumni Fellow, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
2002-2003 Biological Scientist, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
2000-2002 Research Assistant, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI
1998-2000 High School Teacher, East Rowan High School, Salisbury, NC
1997-1998 Fishery Technician, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
1996-1997 Fishery Technician, N.C. State University, Raleigh, NC
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida, 2007
M.S., Natural Resources (Fisheries concentration), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 2002
B.S., Fisheries and Widlife Science, North Carolina State University, 1997
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 28
The U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat): Development, applications, and opportunities
Inland recreational fishing, defined as primarily leisure-driven fishing in freshwaters, is a popular pastime in the USA. State natural resource agencies endeavor to provide high-quality and sustainable fishing opportunities for anglers. Managers often use creel and other angler survey data to inform state- and waterbody-level management efforts. Despite the broad implementation of angler surveys
Decision analysis of barrier placement and targeted removal to control invasive carp in the Tennessee River Basin
Controlling range expansion of invasive carp (specifically Hypophthalmichthys spp.) on the Tennessee River is important to conserve the ecological and economic benefits provided by the river. We collaborated with State and Federal agencies (the stakeholder group) to develop a decision framework and decision support model to evaluate strategies to control carp expansion in the Tennessee River. Usin
Effects of climate and land-use changes on fish catches across lakes at a global scale
Globally, our knowledge on lake fisheries is still limited despite their importance to food security and livelihoods. Here we show that fish catches can respond either positively or negatively to climate and land-use changes, by analyzing time-series data (1970–2014) for 31 lakes across five continents. We find that effects of a climate or land-use driver (e.g., air temperature) on lake environmen
InFish: A professional network to promote global conservation and responsible use of inland fish
Inland fishes and fisheries make substantial contributions to individuals, society, and the environment in a changing global landscape that includes climate, water allocations, and societal changes. However, current limitations to valuing the services provided by inland fish and their fisheries often leaves them out of key decision‐making discussions. InFish is a voluntary professional network wit
The geometry of reaction norms yields insights on classical fitness functions for Great Lakes salmon
Life history theory examines how characteristics of organisms, such as age and size at maturity, may vary through natural selection as evolutionary responses that optimize fitness. Here we ask how predictions of age and size at maturity differ for the three classical fitness functions–intrinsic rate of natural increase r, net reproductive rate R0, and reproductive value Vx−for semelparous species.
Quantifying contributions to tournament catches among resident, stocked, and hybrid black basses (Micropterus spp.)
Millions of Florida bass, Micropterus floridanus Lesueur, are stocked annually into populations of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides Lacepède, to increase trophy fish abundance. However, little effort has related the role that resultant hybrids make to angler catches. Largemouth bass were sampled from an important recreational fishery subject to extensive Florida bass stocking to address the
A statewide evaluation of Florida Bass genetic introgression in Tennessee
Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) are one of the most popular freshwater sport fish in the United States and managers in southeastern states have stocked the Florida Bass (M. s. floridanus) subspecies outside of its natural range to increase size structure of existing Largemouth Bass populations. In Tennessee, fisheries for Largemouth Bass are concentrated in reservoirs of the Cumberland and
Seasonal trophic variation of yellow perch exceeds spatial variation in a large lake basin
Trophic structuring of complex food webs may vary at multiple spatial and temporal scales, both in terms of direct trophic connections and underlying energy pathways that support production. In large freshwater systems, the prey and primary producers that support individual higher-order consumers may vary across seasons and habitats due to differences in food availability, predator consumption pat
Evaluating stocking efficacy in an ecosystem undergoing oligotrophication
Oligotrophication has negatively affected fisheries production in many freshwater ecosystems and could conceivably reduce the efficacy of stockings used to enhance fisheries. In Lake Michigan, offshore oligotrophication has occurred since the 1970s, owing to reductions in total phosphorus (TP) inputs and nearshore sequestration of TP by nonindigenous dreissenid mussels. We evaluated simultaneous e
The contribution of lakes to global inland fisheries harvest
Freshwater ecosystems provide numerous services for communities worldwide, including irrigation, hydropower, and municipal water; however, the services provided by inland fisheries – nourishment, employment, and recreational opportunities – are often comparatively undervalued. We provide an independent estimate of global lake harvest to improve biological and socioeconomic assessments of inland fi
Methodological considerations for detection of terrestrial small-body salamander eDNA and implications for biodiversity conservation
Environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used as an assessment tool to detect populations of threatened species and provide fine-scale data required to make management decisions. The objectives of this project were to use quantitative PCR (qPCR) to: (i) detect spiked salamander DNA in soil, (ii) quantify eDNA degradation over time, (iii) determine detectability of salamander eDNA in a terrestrial environme
Grand challenges in the management and conservation of North American inland fishes and fisheries
Even with long-standing management and extensive science support, North American inland fish and fisheries still face many conservation and management challenges. We used a grand challenges approach to identify critical roadblocks that if removed would help solve important problems in the management and long-term conservation of North American inland fish and fisheries. We identified seven grand c
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 28
The U.S. Inland Creel and Angler Survey Catalog (CreelCat): Development, applications, and opportunities
Inland recreational fishing, defined as primarily leisure-driven fishing in freshwaters, is a popular pastime in the USA. State natural resource agencies endeavor to provide high-quality and sustainable fishing opportunities for anglers. Managers often use creel and other angler survey data to inform state- and waterbody-level management efforts. Despite the broad implementation of angler surveysDecision analysis of barrier placement and targeted removal to control invasive carp in the Tennessee River Basin
Controlling range expansion of invasive carp (specifically Hypophthalmichthys spp.) on the Tennessee River is important to conserve the ecological and economic benefits provided by the river. We collaborated with State and Federal agencies (the stakeholder group) to develop a decision framework and decision support model to evaluate strategies to control carp expansion in the Tennessee River. UsinEffects of climate and land-use changes on fish catches across lakes at a global scale
Globally, our knowledge on lake fisheries is still limited despite their importance to food security and livelihoods. Here we show that fish catches can respond either positively or negatively to climate and land-use changes, by analyzing time-series data (1970–2014) for 31 lakes across five continents. We find that effects of a climate or land-use driver (e.g., air temperature) on lake environmenInFish: A professional network to promote global conservation and responsible use of inland fish
Inland fishes and fisheries make substantial contributions to individuals, society, and the environment in a changing global landscape that includes climate, water allocations, and societal changes. However, current limitations to valuing the services provided by inland fish and their fisheries often leaves them out of key decision‐making discussions. InFish is a voluntary professional network witThe geometry of reaction norms yields insights on classical fitness functions for Great Lakes salmon
Life history theory examines how characteristics of organisms, such as age and size at maturity, may vary through natural selection as evolutionary responses that optimize fitness. Here we ask how predictions of age and size at maturity differ for the three classical fitness functions–intrinsic rate of natural increase r, net reproductive rate R0, and reproductive value Vx−for semelparous species.Quantifying contributions to tournament catches among resident, stocked, and hybrid black basses (Micropterus spp.)
Millions of Florida bass, Micropterus floridanus Lesueur, are stocked annually into populations of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides Lacepède, to increase trophy fish abundance. However, little effort has related the role that resultant hybrids make to angler catches. Largemouth bass were sampled from an important recreational fishery subject to extensive Florida bass stocking to address theA statewide evaluation of Florida Bass genetic introgression in Tennessee
Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) are one of the most popular freshwater sport fish in the United States and managers in southeastern states have stocked the Florida Bass (M. s. floridanus) subspecies outside of its natural range to increase size structure of existing Largemouth Bass populations. In Tennessee, fisheries for Largemouth Bass are concentrated in reservoirs of the Cumberland andSeasonal trophic variation of yellow perch exceeds spatial variation in a large lake basin
Trophic structuring of complex food webs may vary at multiple spatial and temporal scales, both in terms of direct trophic connections and underlying energy pathways that support production. In large freshwater systems, the prey and primary producers that support individual higher-order consumers may vary across seasons and habitats due to differences in food availability, predator consumption patEvaluating stocking efficacy in an ecosystem undergoing oligotrophication
Oligotrophication has negatively affected fisheries production in many freshwater ecosystems and could conceivably reduce the efficacy of stockings used to enhance fisheries. In Lake Michigan, offshore oligotrophication has occurred since the 1970s, owing to reductions in total phosphorus (TP) inputs and nearshore sequestration of TP by nonindigenous dreissenid mussels. We evaluated simultaneous eThe contribution of lakes to global inland fisheries harvest
Freshwater ecosystems provide numerous services for communities worldwide, including irrigation, hydropower, and municipal water; however, the services provided by inland fisheries – nourishment, employment, and recreational opportunities – are often comparatively undervalued. We provide an independent estimate of global lake harvest to improve biological and socioeconomic assessments of inland fiMethodological considerations for detection of terrestrial small-body salamander eDNA and implications for biodiversity conservation
Environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used as an assessment tool to detect populations of threatened species and provide fine-scale data required to make management decisions. The objectives of this project were to use quantitative PCR (qPCR) to: (i) detect spiked salamander DNA in soil, (ii) quantify eDNA degradation over time, (iii) determine detectability of salamander eDNA in a terrestrial environmeGrand challenges in the management and conservation of North American inland fishes and fisheries
Even with long-standing management and extensive science support, North American inland fish and fisheries still face many conservation and management challenges. We used a grand challenges approach to identify critical roadblocks that if removed would help solve important problems in the management and long-term conservation of North American inland fish and fisheries. We identified seven grand c