Trish Franklin is a PhD Candidate at Southern Cross University under the supervision of Professor Peter Harrison, Emeritus Professor Peter Baverstock and Dr Philip Clapham. Trish has been involved in humpback whale research for 20 years. The focus of her PhD is the social and ecological significance of Hervey Bay for the Area V humpback whales.

In 1988 Trish established The Oceania Project as a non-profit, tax exempt, NGO to support the conservation of Cetacea through research and education programs. The primary focus of The Oceania Project is a long-term study of the behaviour and ecology of humpback whales in Hervey Bay. Trish's Photo ID work aboard The Oceania Project's Annual Whale Research Expedition in Hervey Bay has created a unique long-term Photo-identification data set, with extensive individual resighting histories. The Oceania Project has been affiliated with Southern Cross University since 2000 and became an affiliate of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium in 2003.

View Trish's photo gallery

The Oceania Project [www.oceania.org.au]
Internship Program [www.oceania.org.au/expedition/internship.html]
The Whales of Hervey Bay [www.oceania.org.au/whales/whales.html]

Publications:

FRANKLIN, T., W. FRANKLIN, L. BROOKS, P. HARRISON, P. BAVERSTOCK and P. CLAPHAM. (in press). Seasonal changes in pod characteristics of eastern Australian humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), Hervey Bay 1992-2005. Marine Mammal Science, accepted 14th July 2010. DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00430.x

FRANKLIN, W., FRANKLIN, T, N. GIBBS, S. CHILDERHOUSE, C. GARRIGUE, R. CONSTANTINE, L. BROOKS, D. BURNS, D. PATON, M. M. POOLE, N. HAUSER, M. DONOGHUE, K. RUSSELL, D. K. MATTILA, J. ROBBINS, M. ANDERSON, C. OLAVARRIA, J. JACKSON, M. NOAD, P. HARRISON, P. BAVERSTOCK, R. LEAPER, S. C. BAKER and P. CLAPHAM. (In press). Photo-identification confirms that humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from eastern Australia migrate past New Zealand but indicates low levels of interchange with breeding grounds of Oceania. J. CETACEAN RES. MANAGE.

FRANKLIN, W., FRANKLIN, T, L. BROOKS, N. GIBBS, S. CHILDERHOUSE, F. SMITH, D. BURNS, D. PATON, C. GARRIGUE, R. CONSTANTINE, M. M. POOLE, N. HAUSER, M. DONOGHUE, K. RUSSELL, D. K. MATTILA, J. ROBBINS, A. OOSETERMAN, R. LEAPER, P. HARRISON, S. C. BAKER and P. CLAPHAM. (In press). Antarctic waters (Area V 1 ) near the Balleny Islands are a summer feeding area for some Eastern Australian (E (i) breeding group) Humpback whales(Megaptera novaeangliae) . J. CETACEAN RES. MANAGE.

GARRIGUE, C., FRANKLIN, T, K. RUSSELL, D. BURNS, M. POOLE, D. PATON, N. HAUSER, M. OREMUS, R. CONSTANTINE, S. CHILDERHOUSE, D. MATTILA, N. GIBBS, W. FRANKLIN, J. ROBBINS, P. CLAPHAM and C. S. BAKER. (In press). First assessment of interchange of humpback whales between Oceania and the east coast of Australia. J. CETACEAN RES. MANAGE, CASH Special Edition.

PATON, D. A., L. BROOKS, D. BURNS, FRANKLIN, T, W. FRANKLIN, P. HARRISON and P. BAVERSTOCK. (In press). First abundance estimate of east coast Australian humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) utilising mark-recapture analysis and multi-point sampling. J. Cetacean Res. Manage, CASH Special Edition.

FRANKLIN, T. and D. BURNS. 2005. A Southern Right Whale, (Eubalaena Australis) , In Hervey Bay, QLD and Ballina, N NSW. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 51: 308.

FRANKLIN, T. and W. FRANKLIN. 1998. Research and management opportunities for whale management and monitoring in the Hervey Bay Marine Park. Symposium on Wildlife and Tourism. Australasian Wildlife Management Society Conference 1998. UQ Gatton.

FRANKLIN, T. 1996. Research priorities for whale watching from an industry viewpoint. Pages 137-144 in KATHY COLGAN, S. PRASSER and A. JEFFERY eds. Encounters With Whales - 1995 Proceedings. Australian Nature Conservation Agency, Hervey Bay, Qld.

FRANKLIN, T. 1995. The evolving management program in Hervey Bay from the perspective of a permitted operator (MWW/95/17). Report of the workshop on the Scientific Aspects of Managing Whale Watching. IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), Montecastello di Vibio, Italy, 30th March-4th April 1995.

Publications in preparation:

FRANKLIN, T., W. FRANKLIN, L. BROOKS, P. HARRISON, P. BAVERSTOCK and P. CLAPHAM. (In preparation). Social factors influence group behaviour of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay, 1992-2005: associations, competitive groups and non-agonistic social groups.

FRANKLIN, T., W. FRANKLIN, L. BROOKS, P. HARRISON, P. BAVERSTOCK and P. CLAPHAM. (In preparation). Temporal segregation of sexual and maturational classes of Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay 1992-2005: lactating females, non-lactating females, juveniles and escorts

FRANKLIN, W., M. FRANKLIN, C. GOYETCHE, K. KRAUSE-DAVIES and T. FRANKLIN. (In preparation). Seasonal occurrence of singing of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay.

FRANKLIN, T., W. FRANKLIN, L. BROOKS, P. HARRISON, P. BAVERSTOCK and P. CLAPHAM. (In preparation). Co-operative interactions between Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) lactating females, non-lactating females and escorts in Hervey Bay 1992-2005.

FRANKLIN, T., W. FRANKLIN, L. BROOKS, P. HARRISON, P. BAVERSTOCK and P. CLAPHAM. (In preparation). Site fidelity and residency of Eastern Australian Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay 1992-2005.

FRANKLIN, T., W. FRANKLIN and P. CLAPHAM. (In preparation). Aggression of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) escort towards a calf with mother in Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia.

Papers to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Scientific Committee:

CLAIRE G, H. PELTIER, V. RIDOUX, T. FRANKLIN and J. B. CHARRASSIN. 2010. CETA: a new cetacean observation program in EastAntarctica. For consideration by the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission,Agadir, Morocco, 30th May - 11th june 2010. SC/62/SH3.

ANDERSON M., D. STEEL, W. FRANKLIN, T. FRANKLIN, D. PATON, D. BURNS, P. HARRISON, P. BAVERSTOCK, C. GARRIGUE, C. OLAVARRIA, M. POOLE, N. HAUSER, R. CONSTANTINE, D. THIELE, P. CLAPHAM, M. DONOGHUE and S. C. BAKER. 2010. Microsatellite genotype matches of eastern Australian humpback whales to Area V feeding and breeding grounds. For consideration by the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission, SC/62/SH7:11pp.

FRANKLIN, W., T. FRANKLIN, L. BROOKS, N. GIBBS, S. CHILDERHOUSE, F. SMITH, D. BURNS, D. PATON, C. GARRIGUE, R. CONSTANTINE, M. M. POOLE, N. HAUSER, M. DONOGHUE, K. RUSSELL, D. K. MATTILA, J. ROBBINS, A. OOSTERMAN, R. LEAPER, C. S. BAKER and P. CLAPHAM. 2008. Eastern Australia (E1 breeding grounds) may be a wintering destination for some Area V Humpback Whales ((Megaptera novaeangliae) migrating through New Zealand waters. IWC Scientific Committee SC/60/SH3.

FRANKLIN, W., T. FRANKLIN, L. BROOKS, N. GIBBS, S. CHILDERHOUSE, F. SMITH, D. BURNS, D. PATON, C. GARRIGUE, R. CONSTANTINE, M. M. POOLE, N. HAUSER, M. DONOGHUE, K. RUSSELL, D. K. MATTILA, J. ROBBINS, A. OOSTERMAN, R. LEAPER, C. S. BAKER and P. CLAPHAM. 2008. Migratory movements of humpback whales ((Megaptera novaeangliae) between eastern Australia and the Balleny Islands, Antarctica, confirmed by photo-identification. IWC Scientific Committee SC/60/SH2.

FRANKLIN, W., T. FRANKLIN, L. BROOKS, C. JENNER, M. JENNER, L. GONçALVES, R. LEAPER, L. BROOKS and P. CLAPHAM. 2008. Photo-identification comparison of humpback whale ((Megaptera novaeangliae) flukes from Antarctic Area IV with Western and Eastern Australian fluke catalogues IWC Scientific Committee SC/60/SH1.

FRANKLIN, T., F. SMITH, N. GIBBS, S. CHILDERHOUSE, D. BURNS, D. PATON, W. FRANKLIN, C. S. BAKER and P. CLAPHAM. 2007. Migratory movements of humpback whales ((Megaptera novaeangliae) between eastern Australia and the Balleny Islands, Antarctica, confirmed by photo-identification. IWC Scientific Committee SC/59/SH18.

GARRIGUE, C., T. FRANKLIN, K. RUSSELL, D. BURNS, M. POOLE, D. PATON, N. HAUSER, M. OREMUS, R. CONSTANTINE, S. CHILDERHOUSE, D. MATTILA, N. GIBBS, W. FRANKLIN, J. ROBBINS, P. CLAPHAM and C. S. BAKER. 2007. First assessment of interchange of humpback whales between Oceania and the east coast of Australia. IWC Scientific Committee, SC/59/SH15, 2007.

PATON, D. A., L. BROOKS, D. BURNS, T. FRANKLIN, W. FRANKLIN, P. HARRISON and P. BAVERSTOCK. 2006. First abundance estimate of east coast Australian humpback whales ((Megaptera novaeangliae) utilising mark-recapture analysis and multi-point sampling. IWC Scientific Committee SC/A06/HW32

Collaborative Projects:

ARC-Linkage Grant - Research Project: "Ageing wild vertebrates from their DNA; an investigation using Humpback Whales as an example". Industry Partners: IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare), The Oceania Project and Southern Cross University. Sloughed skin sampling of humpback whales in Hervey Bay.

South Pacific Whale Research Consortium: Eastern Australia/Oceania fluke Matching 1999-2004 to investigate migratory interchange, population structure and estimation of abundance.

Andrew Moss, Queensland Department of Environment & Heritage, Environment Division: Long-term assessment of eutrophic conditions in the Hervey Bay Marine Park, Queensland. Stage I & II (1993-2003), see: http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/publications/p01771aa.pdf/Longterm_monitoring_of_chlorophylla_in_Hervey_Bay_Queensland_/_the_Oceania_Project.pdf. Stage III: (2004 on-going).

Dr Nick Gales and Colleagues, Australian Antarctic Division: DNA Analysis of humpback whale faeces to investigate opportunistic feeding by humpback whales in Hervey Bay.

Dan Burns & David Paton, Southern Cross University Whale Research Centre: Abundance [Paton et al (2006). Citation above ], Movements [Paper in. prep] & Group Characteristics [Paper in. prep] of migrating humpbacks Eastern Australia.

Conferences, Symposiums & Meetings:

Conference - Invited Participant and Presentation:
Australian government, Department of the Environment & Heritage: The National Whale and Dolphin Research Conference, 21-22 February, Adelaide, South Australia. Presentation: Progress Report on paper in preparation 'Group characteristics of Eastern Australian Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay 1992-2005' (Citation above) and update on outputs & collaborations from long tern study of Humpback Whales in Hervey Bay. (PDF [3,152 KB] of presentation at: http://www.deh.gov.au/coasts/species/cetaceans/conference/pubs/hw-franklin.pdf

Poster: "Isolation and interchange among humpback whales on breeding grounds and migratory corridors of the South Pacific". 2007. C. Garrigue; C.S. Baker; D. Burns; S. Childerhouse; P. Clapham; R. Constantine; M. Donoghue; T. Franklin; W. Franklin; N. Gibbs; N. Hauser; B. Madon; D. Mattila; K. Russell; M. Oremus; D. Paton; M. Poole; J. Robbins.

17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Cape Town South Africa 29 November - 3rd December 2007.

Cape Town_Poster_2007.pdf [652 KB]

Symposium - Invited Participant and Paper:
IWC Scientific Committee: Comprehensive Assessment of Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales. Held at Australian Antarctic Division, Hobart, Tasmania. April 3-7, 2006. Paper presented: Paton et al (2006). (Citation above).

Symposium on Wildlife and Tourism. Australasian Wildlife Management Society Conference 1998, Held at UQ Gatton. Paper presented: Franklin & Franklin (1988). (Citation above).

Meetings - Invited Participant and Presentation:

Annual Meeting of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium (2008). 5-8 February, Auckland, New Zealand.
Presentation: Report on Humpback Research Hervey Bay 2007 field season and Progress meeting on Eastern Australia;Oceania Photo-ID fluke matching project and Balleny Islands Photo-ID matching project.

Annual Meeting of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium (2007). 29 January - 2 February, Auckland, New Zealand.

Presentation: Report on Humpback Research Hervey Bay 2006 field season and Progress meeting on Eastern Australia; Oceania Photo-ID fluke matching project.

Annual Meeting of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium (2006). 8-12 February, Auckland, New Zealand.
Presentation: Report on Humpback Research Hervey Bay 2005 field season.

Annual Meeting of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium (2004). 2-6 April, Byron Bay, NSW, Australia.
Presentation: Report on Humpback Research Hervey Bay 2003 field season.

Annual Meeting of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium (2003). 13-17 February, Auckland, New Zealand.
Presentation: Report on Humpback Research Hervey Bay 2002 field season.

Workshops & Seminars:

Workshop - Invited Participant and Paper:
Australian Nature Conservation Agency Workshop: Encounters with Whales 1995. Hervey Bay, Queensland, 26-30 July 1995.

Paper presented: Franklin & Franklin 1996. (Citation above).

IFAW Workshop: The Scientific Aspects of Managing Whale Watching, Montecastello di Vibio, Italy, 30th March-4th April 1995. Paper presented: Franklin (1996). (Citation above).

Workshop - Invited Participant and Presentation:
Eastern Australia-Oceania Photo-ID fluke Matching Workshop. Noumea, 28th November - 1st December 2006. South Pacific Whale Research Consortium (SPWRC) and Members of the Southern Cross University Whale Research Centre (SCUWRC).

Australian Humpback Whale Photo-Identification Workshop. Lismore, NSW, Australia, 5-7 May 2004. Australian Government, Department of Environment & Heritage (DEH) and Southern Cross University Whale Research Centre (SCUWRC).

Workshop - Invited Participant and Poster:
Poster: 'The social and ecological significance of Hervey Bay for Area V Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)'. Presented at: Conserving Whales and Dolphins in Australian Waters: National Research Partnerships Workshop. Ballina, NSW - 2 to 4 May 2004. Australian Government, Department of Environment & Heritage (DEH) and Southern Cross University Whale Research Centre (SCUWRC).

Workshop - Invited Participant:
Marine Mammal Strandings in Australia: Developing a National Approach. Manly, Sydney, Australia, 18-19 May 2004. Australian Government, Department of Environment & Heritage (DEH) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Seminar - Invited Participant, Poster and Presentation:
Poster & Presentation title: 'The social and ecological significance of Hervey Bay for Area V Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)'. Designated Areas of Research Seminar (DOARS). Byron Bay Beach Resort, Byron Bay - 3rd-4th November 2004. Southern Cross University Graduate Research C

ollege. Seminar - Invited Participant:
ANZECC Humpback Whale Research & Conservation Seminar - Brisbane 23-25 October 1998. Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage (QEPA). Draft Proceedings & Appendices published January 1999 by QEPA.

Book Contribution (Photography):

A Whale's Song, The humpbacks of Eastern Australia (2001). Written by Timothy Goodson Harrison, Designed by Lindsay Crether. Published by Southern Cross University Whale research Centre, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia.

Appointments, Memberships & Affiliations:

President, Director & Founder of The Oceania Project. A not-for-profit research & education organisation, established in 1988, dedicated to raising awareness about whale, dolphins and the oceans. Web-site: www.oceania.org.au*

Member of The Society for Marine Mammalogy, USA (MMS).

Founding member of Whale and Dolphin Watch Australia Inc. (WADWA). The National Incorporated Association of Australian Commercial Whale-watchers and part of the: International Alliance of Commercial Whale-watchers.

Member of Executive Board and Scientific Adviser to Whale and Dolphin Watch Australia Inc. (WADWA).

Affiliate of The South Pacific Whale Research Consortium (SPWRC).

Member of The Australian Humpback Whale Research Group (AHWRG)

Updated: 15 March 2011