Ana Vinson is an M.S. Fisheries student and a groundfish biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Juneau. Originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, she earned her B.S. in Biology from The Evergreen State College, where she began working in marine and aquatic research. Since then, she has worked on projects involving intertidal ecosystem monitoring, remotely operated vehicle surveys, satellite telemetry, and fisheries fieldwork across Washington and Alaska. At ADF&G, Ana supports the research, assessment, and management of commercial groundfish fisheries in Southeast Alaska. Outside of fisheries, she is a longtime figure skater and coach who spends much of her free time hiking, fishing, and exploring Southeast Alaska.
Ana’s research, conducted in collaboration with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, focuses on the reproductive biology of yelloweye rockfish across Southeast Alaska. She is examining regional differences in maturity and reproductive traits and evaluating whether spectroscopy can be validated as an alternative to histology for maturity staging. The project aims to fill key gaps in yelloweye life-history information and improve the biological data available for stock assessment and management.