Wally Franklin is a PhD candidate at Southern Cross University under the supervision of Professor Peter Harrison and Emeritus Professor Peter Baverstock. Wally has been involved in humpback whale research for 20 years. The focus of his PhD is an investigation into the population dynamics and migratory interchange of humpback whales in Hervey Bay.

He has been involved in the management and marine operations of The Oceania Project since its inception in 1988 and, with Trish Franklin, is Co-Principal Investigator on The Oceania Project's long-term study of humpback whales in Hervey Bay. Prior to 1988 Wally was a career Executive in the Travel and Transport Industry for 23 years. In 1980, together with Trish Franklin, he established a management and marketing company - Boutu Enterprise Pty Ltd - to undertake unique and unusual projects. Boutu Enterprise managed the highly successful $14 million Bicentennial Project, 'The Re-enactment of the First Fleet', which was awarded 'Joint Bicentennial Project of 1988' at the Australia Day awards in 1989.

The Oceania Project's Whale Research Expedition [www.oceania.org.au/expedition/expedition.html]
The Cyclic migration of the southern humpback whales [www.oceania.org.au/education/migration/title.html]
iWhales.org - Humpback whale films [www.iWhales.org]

Publications:

CLAPHAM, P., Y. MIKHALEV, W. FRANKLIN, D. PATON, S. BAKER, Y. V. IVASHCHENKO and R. L. J. BROWNELL. 2009. Catches of Humpback Whales by the Soviet Union and Other Nations in the Southern Ocean, 1947-1973. Marine Fisheries Review 71: 39-43.

FRANKLIN, T., W. FRANKLIN, L. BROOKS, P. HARRISON, P. BAVERSTOCK and P. CLAPHAM. (2010). 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 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.

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:

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

CLAPHAM, P., Y. MIKHALEV, W. FRANKLIN, D. PATON, S. BAKER and R. L. J. BROWNELL. 2005. Catches of Humpback Whales in the Southern Ocean, 1947-1973. IWC Scientific Committee SC/57/SH 6.

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: Time Series Abundance Estimate [Paton et al (2008) ], 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 (2010). 14-17 April, Auckland, New Zealand.
Presentation: Report on Humpback Research Hervey Bay 2009 field season and papers in review with MMS.

Annual Meeting of the South Pacific Whale Research Consortium (2009). 9-12 February, Auckland, New Zealand.
Presentation: Report on Humpback Research Hervey Bay 2008 field season and two papers in review with JCRM.

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 (2005). 11-13 March,Auckland, New Zealand.
Presentation: Report on Humpback Research Hervey Bay 2004 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).

Workshops - 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).

Workshops - Invited Participant and Poster:
Poster: 'An investigation of genetic relatedness amongst individuals, pods, classes and cohorts of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay'. 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).

Workshops - 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: 'An investigation of genetic relatedness amongst individuals, pods, classes and cohorts of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay'. Designated Areas of Research Seminar (DOARS). Byron Bay Beach Resort, Byron Bay - 3rd-4th November 2004. Southern Cross University Graduate Research College.

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.

Appointments, Memberships & Affiliations:

Secretary, Director & Co-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 (SMM).

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