Anna Mercer, Ph.D.

Anna earned a B.S. in Marine and Freshwater Biology from the University of New Hampshire and a PhD in Fisheries Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. Throughout her career, Anna has worked to develop research projects that address the questions and concerns of fishermen and the scientific community, including collection of high resolution fishery data, oceanographic monitoring, habitat mapping, fishing gear development, and marketing of underutilized seafood species. As part of her research programs, Anna has spent hundreds of days on fishing vessels collecting data and learning from the men and women who harvest seafood. She has also been at the forefront of applying collaboratively collected data to the assessment and management of fisheries resources. Recently, Mercer has spearheaded research focused on developing technology and sampling designs that enable fishermen to collect quantitative biological and environmental data in an efficient and effective manner. Throughout, Anna’s career has focused on expanding fishermen’s involvement with scientific data collection and application and she continues this charge in her position at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center. Anna Mercer serves as the Chief of the NEFSC Cooperative Research Branch as well as the Director of the NEFSC Narragansett Laboratory in Narragansett, RI. 

Google Scholar