Aquaculture is the fastest growing food-producing industry in the world with an average annual growth rate of 8.7% per year, three times higher than the growth rates observed for terrestrial farm meat production. Moreover, expansion in aquaculture offers perhaps the greatest potential to meet the growing demand for food worldwide. Based upon current projections for world population growth, current levels of aquatic food consumption and food security issues in developing nations, aquaculture production is expected to grow by 40M metric tons by 2030 nearly doubling current production at 51.7M metric tons.

Refereed / Peer-reviewed Journals

Powell, M.S., B.D. Robison, K.J. Rodnick, G.K. Murdoch, R.A. Hill, D. J.A. Stone, R.E. Drew, K.P. Plant, F.T. Barrows, and R.W. Hardy. (submitted) Temporal Variation in Physiological and Transcriptional Effects of Dietary Starch Manipulation in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B.

Wacyk, J., M. Powell, K. Rodnick, K. Overturf, R. Hill and R. Hardy. (submitted) Dietary protein source significantly alters hepatic transcriptional activity in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fed amino acid balanced diets. Aquaculture.

Anders, P. and M. Powell. (submitted) Incorporating reproductive and life history traits, genetic principles and techniques into conservation and management of white surgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in the Columbia River Basin, USA. Journal of Applied Ichthyology.

Sealey^, W. M, F.T. Barrows, C.E. Smith, J.M. Wacyk, B.C. Donahower, M.S. Powell, R.W. Hardy and E.A. Shelden (accepted) Heat shock protein regulation in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, is altered by dietary soybean meal inclusion and anti-phospholipase A2 antibody. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society.

Anders, P., A. Drauch-Shreier, B. May, J. Rodzen, M. Powell, and S. Narum. 2011. A review of genetic evaluation tools for conservation and management of sturgeons: Roles, benefits, and limitations. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 27(2):3-11

Campbell, M. R., C.M. Kozfkay, K.A. Meyer, M.S. Powell and R. N. Williams 2011. Historical influences of volcanism and glaciation in shaping mitochondrial DNA variation and distribution in Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri across its native range. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.
Refereed / Peer-reviewed Journals 2010

Powell, M.S., B.D. Robison, K.J. Rodnick, G.K. Murdoch, R.A. Hill, D. J.A. Stone, R.E. Drew, K.P. Plant, F.T. Barrows, and R.W. Hardy. (Submitted) Temporal Variation in Physiological and Transcriptional Effects of Dietary Starch Manipulation in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Journal of Experimental Biology.

Campbell, M. R., C.M. Kozfkay, K.A. Meyer, M.S. Powell and R. N. Williams (In Press) Historical influences of volcanism and glaciation in shaping mitochondrial DNA variation and distribution in Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri across its native range. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.

Lee, K.J., M.S. Powell, F.T. Barrows, S. Smiley, P. Bechtel, R.W. Hardy. 2010. Evaluation of supplemental fish bone meal made from Alaska seafood processing byproducts and dicalcium phosphate in plant-protein based diets for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Aquaculture 302:248-255

Powell, M.S., R.W. Hardy, T.A. Flagg and P.A. Kline. 2010. Proximate composition and energy content of migrating wild and planted Redfish Lake sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). North American Journal of Fisheries Management 30:530-537.

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Abstracts 2010

Weigel, D., M. Powell, P. Connolly and K. Martens. Genetic variation in Oncorhynchus mykiss in the lower Methow Tributaries. US-BoR Annual Meeting, Managing Waters of the West, Wenatchee, WA, Jan. 2010.

Powell, M.S., G.K. Murdoch, F.T. Barrows and R.W. Hardy. Effects of high and low phosphorous diets on bone and hepatic gene expression in rainbow trout fry, fingerling and post juvenile stages. Aquaculture America, Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA, Feb. 2010

Powell, M.S., R.W. Hardy, J. McIver, and K.J. Rodnick. Transforming environmental and physiological assessments using fish erythrocyte gene expression to measure responses. NSF-PFI workshop, Washington, DC, Apr. 2010.

Anders, P., A. Drauch, B. May, J. Rodzen, M. Powell, and S. Narum. Integrating genetic evaluations into conservation and management of sturgeons: roles, benefits and limitations. World Sturgeon Conservation Society Meeting Missoula, MT. May 2010

LaVelle, J., M. Powell, T. Macbeth, and T. Gendusa. Evaluating variation in gene expression in PCB-exposed and reference wild Rainbow trout. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Annual Meeting, Portland, OR, Nov. 2010.

 My research focuses on two areas of aquaculture: 1) Improved understanding of molecular genomic mechanisms involved in metabolism and physiology such as carbohydrate utilization among salmonids and 2) development of novel molecular genomic methods to detect disease or differentiate hatchery and wild populations.

In addition to research, my laboratory carries out applied molecular genetic training of students and scholars at all scholastic levels from high school to visiting professors from other universities. At present, my lab has trained over 100 students and scholars in molecular genetic/genomic techniques at the aquaculture Research Institute and the Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station. I am committed to providing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) opportunities and experience to high school students and teachers who participate in laboratory activities with me throughout the year.  My laboratory also works closely with fish farmers and state/federal hatcheries providing outreach and applied research to promote and enhance the growing aquaculture industry in Idaho. Currently we are working with farmers in Southern Idaho to develop methods to detect the sex of white sturgeon at an earlier age and the use of ultrasound to develop non-invasive methods to check the egg maturity of sturgeon females.
I also teach UI summer courses which include fish genetics and applied statistical methods.My research focuses on two areas of aquaculture: 1) Improved understanding of molecular genomic mechanisms involved in metabolism and physiology such as carbohydrate utilization among salmonids and 2) development of novel molecular genomic methods to detect disease or differentiate hatchery and wild populations.

 "Volunteer of the Year” Sundance Institute, 2010 Sundance Film Festival