Mark Gaikowski
Biography
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
Development of Chemical Tools to Control Asian Carp and Dreissenid Mussels
Over 180 and 140 aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been introduced into the Great Lakes and Upper Mississippi River basins, respectively, with threats of new invasions always on the horizon. Sea lamprey, zebra mussels, and Asian carps are just a few examples of AIS whose abilities to alter aquatic habitats and disrupt food cycles threaten many outdoor recreation opportunities and ecosystems...
Telemetry evaluation of carbon dioxide as a behavioral deterrent for invasive carps
Carbon dioxide (CO2) mixed into water is being explored as a possible management strategy to deter the upstream movements of invasive carps through navigation locks and other migratory pinch-points. This study used two-dimensional acoustic telemetry to assess the effectiveness of dissolved CO2 as a chemosensory deterrent to two carp species...
Cupp, Aaron R.; Lopez, Ashley K; Smerud, Justin R.; Tix, John A.; Rivera, Jose M.; Swyers, Nicholas M.; Brey, Marybeth; Woodley, Christa M; Smith, David L.; Gaikowski, Mark P. Toxicity of carbon dioxide to freshwater fishes: Implications for aquatic invasive species management
Carbon dioxide (CO2) has been approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a new aquatic pesticide to control invasive Asian carps and other aquatic nuisance species in the United States. However, limited CO2 toxicity data could make it challenging for resource managers to characterize the potential risk to nontarget species during...
Cupp, Aaron R.; Smerud, Justin R.; Thomas, Linnea M; Waller, Diane L.; Smith, David L.; Erickson, Richard A.; Gaikowski, Mark P. Assessment of carbon dioxide piscicide treatments
Few chemicals are approved to control or eradicate nuisance fish populations in the United States. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is currently being developed and studied as a new piscicide option for nonselective population control. This study evaluated dry ice (solid state CO2) as a simple CO2 delivery method during winter piscicide applications....
Cupp, Aaron R.; Smerud, Justin R.; Tix, John A.; Rivera, Jose M.; Kageyama, Stacie A.; Merkes, Christopher M.; Erickson, Richard A.; Amberg, Jon J.; Gaikowski, Mark P. Effects of formaldehyde on nitrification in biofilters of small‐scale recirculating systems
Florfenicol (Aquaflor®) is the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug for treating diseased fish reared in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Treating diseased fish in RAS is challenging because of the potential to damage nitrifying bacteria in the biofilters. Impaired nitrification can lead to concentrations of ammonia...
Fredricks, Kim T.; Cupp, Aaron R.; Schleis, Susan M.; Erickson, Richard A.; Gaikowski, Mark P. Water guns affect abundance and behavior of bigheaded carp and native fish differently
Water guns have shown the potential to repel nuisance aquatic organisms. This study examines the effects of exposure to a 1966.4 cm3 seismic water gun array (two guns) on the abundance and behavior of Bighead Carp Hypophthalmichthys nobilis, Silver Carp H. molitrix (collectively referred to as bigheaded carp) and native...
Rivera, Jose M.; Glover, David C.; Kocovsky, Patrick; Garvey, James E.; Gaikowski, Mark P.; Jensen, Nathan R.; Adams, Ryan F. Acoustic deterrence of bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) to a broadband sound stimulus
Recent studies have shown the potential of acoustic deterrents against invasive silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix). This study examined the phonotaxic response of the bighead carp (H. nobilis) to pure tones (500–2000 Hz) and playbacks of broadband sound from an underwater recording of a 100 hp outboard motor (0.06–10 kHz) in...
Vetter, Brooke J.; Murchy, Kelsie; Cupp, Aaron R.; Amberg, Jon J.; Gaikowski, Mark P.; Mensinger, Allen F. Carbon dioxide as an under-ice lethal control for invasive fishes
Resource managers need effective tools to control invasive fish populations. In this study, we tested under-ice carbon dioxide (CO2) injection as a novel piscicide method for non-native Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), Common Carp (Cyprinus carpio) and...
Cupp, Aaron R.; Woiak, Zebadiah; Erickson, Richard A.; Amberg, Jon J.; Gaikowski, Mark P. Potential implications of acoustic stimuli as a non-physical barrier to silver carp and bighead carp
The effectiveness of an acoustic barrier to deter the movement of silver carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Valenciennes) and bighead carp, H. nobilis (Richardson) was evaluated. A pond (10 m × 5 m × 1.2 m) was divided in half by a concrete-block barrier with a channel (1 m across) allowing fish access...
Murchy, Kelsie; Cupp, Aaron R.; Amberg, Jon J.; Vetter, Brooke J.; Fredricks, Kim T.; Gaikowski, Mark P.; Mensinger, Allen F. Not all carp are created equal: Impacts of broadband sound on common carp swimming behavior
Bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), silver carp (H. molitrix) (hereafter: bigheaded carps), and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) are invasive fish causing negative impacts throughout their North American range. To control their movements, non-physical barriers are being developed. Broadband sound (0.06 to 10 kHz) has shown potential as an...
Murchy, Kelsie; Vetter, Brooke J.; Brey, Marybeth; Amberg, Jon J.; Gaikowski, Mark P.; Mensinger, Allen F. Digestive physiology comparisons of aquatic invertebrates in the Upper Mississippi River Basin
Limited information is available on the composition of digestive enzymes present in unionid mussels and the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha. Available information is nearly exclusive to species used for culture purposes. A commercially available enzyme assay kit was used to examine the effect of habitat within an ecosystem, season, and...
Sauey, Blake W.; Amberg, Jon J.; Cooper, Scott T.; Grunwald, Sandra K.; Haro, Roger J.; Gaikowski, Mark P. Carbon dioxide as a tool to deter the movement of invasive bigheaded carps
Nonnative bigheaded carps are established in the Mississippi River and there is substantial concern about their potential entry into the interconnected Laurentian Great Lakes. While electrical barriers currently exist as a preventative measure, there is need for additional control mechanisms to promote barrier security through redundancy. We...
Michael R. Donaldson; Amberg, Jon J.; Shivani Adhikari; Cupp, Aaron R.; Jensen, Nathan; Romine, Jason G.; Adam Wright; Gaikowski, Mark P.; Cory D. Suski Effectiveness of eugenol sedation to reduce the metabolic rates of cool and warm water fish at high loading densities
Effects of eugenol (AQUI-S®20E, 10% active eugenol) sedation on cool water, yellow perch Perca flavescens (Mitchill), and warm water, Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus L. fish metabolic rates were assessed. Both species were exposed to 0, 10, 20 and 30 mg L−1 eugenol using static respirometry. In 17°C water and loading densities of...
Cupp, Aaron R.; Hartleb, Christopher F.; Fredricks, Kim T.; Gaikowski, Mark P.
Invasive Silver Carp Respond Strongly to Sound
Silver carp, a species of invasive Asian carp, demonstrated a strong aversion to certain noises during a recent study on the potential use of sound for silver carp control.