Mark A. Drawbridge, M.S.
Senior Research Scientist
Major Research Areas
Aquaculture for Stock Enhancement and Food Production, Fisheries Ecology
Education
B.A., Biology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg M.S., Marine Ecology, San Diego State University, San Diego
Professional Activities
- California Aquaculture Association, President;
- World Aquaculture Society, member;
- American Fisheries Society, member; Western Regional Aquaculture Center (WRAC) Technical Committee, member;
- San Diego County Aquaculture Commodity representative to the California Farm Bureau;
- Advisory Panel member US- Japan Natural Resources Aquaculture Panel.
University Affiliations
- Adjunct Faculty and Lecturer in Aquaculture, University of San Diego;
- Graduate student advisor, University of San Diego, California State University at San Marcos and Fullerton;
- Autonomous University of Baja California, MX.
Recent Research Areas:
- Ocean replenishment of white seabass and California halibut
- Development of sustainable feeds for marine finfish
- Egg quality and broodstock nutrition
- Larval nutrition toward improved juvenile production
Mark is currently a Senior Research Scientist at Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI) in San Diego, where he has been employed since 1989. Mark also serves as the Director of the Institute’s Sustainable Seafood Program, which is focused on developing techniques for growing marine finfish for ocean replenishment and farming. The HSWRI aquaculture research program supports approximately 20 full-time staff, two research hatcheries in San Diego, and acclimation cage facilities throughout southern California coastal waters. Species currently being investigated for farming include white seabass, striped bass, California yellowtail, and California halibut.
Mr. Drawbridge graduated from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania in 1985 with a B.A. degree in biology and from San Diego State University in 1990 with an M.Sc. degree in Marine Ecology. In addition to his direct responsibilities at HSWRI, Mark is a current board member and past-president of the California Aquaculture Association; an associate faculty member at the University of San Diego; a member of the Western Regional Aquaculture Center’s technical research committee; and a member of California’s Aquaculture Development Committee.
Select Recent Publications
Stuart, K., F. Rotman, and M. Drawbridge. 2015. Methods of Microbial Control in Marine Fish Larval Rearing: Clay-based Turbidity and Passive Larval Transfer. Aquaculture Research DOI: 10.1111/are.12696
Hawkyard, Matt, Stuart, Kevin, Langdon, Chris and Drawbridge, Mark. 2015. The enrichment of rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) and Artemia franciscana with taurine-liposomes and their subsequent effects on the larval development of California yellowtail (Seriola lalandi). Aquaculture Nutrition. DOI: 10.1111/anu.12317.
Rotman, F., K. Stuart, and M. Drawbridge. 2016. Effects of taurine supplementation in live feeds on larval rearing performance of California yellowtail Seriola lalandi and white seabass Atractoscion nobilis. Aquaculture Research, 1–8, doi:10.1111/are.12964
Salze, G. P., Davis, D. A., Jirsa, D. O. and Drawbridge, M. A. (2017), Methionine Requirement for Juvenile White Seabass, Atractoscion nobilis, Using Nonlinear Models. J World Aquaculture Soc. doi:10.1111/jwas.12413
Wegner, N.C., Drawbridge, M.A. and Hyde, J.A. (2017), Reduced swimming and metabolic fitness of aquaculture-reared California Yellowtail (Seriola dorsalis) in comparison to wild-caught conspecifics. Aquaculture 486 (2018): 51–56
Stuart, K., Johnson, R., Armbruster, L. and Drawbridge, M. (2018), Arachidonic acid in the diet of captive California yellowtail Seriola dorsalis and its effects on egg quality. North American Journal of Aquaculture. 80:97–106
Stuart, K., Losordo, M., Olin, P., and Drawbridge, M. (2018), Optimizing procedures for shipping marine fish eggs using white seabass, Atractoscion nobilis, as a model. Aquaculture 493(1): 229–232.