Phinn Onens, M.Sc.

Phinn Onens began working for NOAA Fisheries’ Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program (MMHSRP) in 2019. Since 2024, he has served as the Executive Secretary for the Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events. He has extensive experience in marine mammal strandings and conservation medicine, and has previously worked with marine mammals in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Canada. He received a Master’s degree in Marine Mammal Science from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, where his research focused on using acoustic tags to determine caller identity in free-ranging resident killer whales. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Ecology—with a concentration in marine science—from the College of the Atlantic, Maine. In his current position, Phinn helps ensure the MMHSRP meets its statutory mandates under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and Endangered Species Act, and supports the coordination of national marine mammal conservation and recovery programs.