Dr Nick Gales BSc, BVMS, PhD

Expertise and research interests

I have had a privileged and diverse background in applied marine mammal conservation science. Originally graduating as a veterinarian and then moving to applied science through a PhD program on Australian sea lions, I have enjoyed working on the science that underpins the policy and management of marine mammal and human interactions in many arenas. In pursuing this career I have conducted detailed physiological, reproductive and movement studies of seals, dugongs, whales and dolphins in a diverse range of environments including Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand and many of the subantarctic islands.

I am now the Leader of the Australian Marine Mammal Centre, based at the Australian Antarctic Division in Hobart. This job provides a tremendous opportunity to positively influence the direction, shape and quantify of science that supports improved conservation outcomes for marine mammals and to ensure that Government policy and management decisions are fully informed with science. Among other roles I also head up Australia's delegation at meetings of the International Whaling Commission's Scientific Committee, and am the Oceania coordinator for the IUCNs cetacean specialist group.

Selected publications

Gales, N. J., and H. R. Burton. 1987. Ultrasonic measurement of blubber thickness of the Southern Elephant Seal, Mirounga leonina (Linn.). Australian Journal of Zoology 35:207-217.

Gales, N. J., M. Adams, and H. R. Burton. 1989. Genetic relatedness of two populations of the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina. Marine Mammal Science 5:57-68.

Gales, N. J., and H. R. Burton. 1989. The past and present status of the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina Linn.) in Greater Antarctica. Mammalia 53(1):35-47

Gales, N. J. 1989. Chemical restraint and anaesthesia of pinnipeds: A review. Marine Mammal Science 5:228-257.

Cheal, A. J., and N. J. Gales. 1992. Growth, sexual maturity and food intakes of Australian Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in captivity. Australian Journal of Zoology 40:215-23.

Gales, N. J. and K. Waples. 1993. The rehabilitation and release of bottlenose dolphins from Atlantis Marine Park, Western Australia. Aquatic Mammals 19(2):49-59.

Gales, N. J., P. D. Shaughnessy, and T. Dennis. 1994. Distribution, abundance and breeding cycle of the Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea. Journal of Zoology (London)234:353-370.

Gales, N. J. and D. St. Aubin. 1995. The effects of oil contamination and rehabilitation on other fur bearing marine mammals. In Williams, T. M. and R. W. Davis (eds) Emergency care and rehabilitation of oiled sea otters: A guide for oil spills involving fur-bearing marine mammals. University of Alaska Press. pp 197-213.

Gales, N. J., Williamson, P., Higgins, L. V., Blackberry, M. A., and I. James. 1997. Evidence for a prolonged placental gestation in the Australian sea lion. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 111:159-163.

Gales, N. J., and R. H. Mattlin. 1997. Summer diving behaviour of lactating New Zealand sea lions Phocarctos hookeri. Canadian Journal of Zoology 75:1695-1706.

Gales, N.J., and D.P. Costa. 1997. The Australian Sea Lion: an unusual life history. In Hindell, M., and Kemper C (eds) Marine Mammal Research in the Southern Hemisphere. Vol. 1: Status, Ecology and Medicine. Surrey Beatty and Sons. Chipping Norton. pp 78-87.

Gales, N. J., and R. H. Mattlin. 1998. Fast, safe, field-portable gas anaesthesia for otariids. Marine Mammal Science 14(2):355-361.

Costa, D. P., Gales, N. J., and Crocker, D. 1998. Blood volume and diving ability of the New Zealand Sea Lion Phocarctos hookeri. Physiological Zoology 71(2):208-213.

Gales, N.J., and D.J. Fletcher. 1998. Abundance, distribution and status of the New Zealand sea lion Phocarctos hookeri. Wildlife Research 26:35-52.

Costa, D.P., and Gales, N.J. 2000. Foraging energetics and diving behaviour of lactating New Zealand sea lions Phocarctos hookeri. Journal of Experimental Biology 203:3655-3665.

Gales, N.J., Dalebout, M. and J. Bannister. 2002. Genetic identification and biological observations of two free-swimming beaked whales: Mesoplodon hectori, Hectors beaked whale (Gray, 1871), and Mesoplodon grayi, Grays beaked whale (von Haast, 1876). Marine Mammal Science 18(2):437-448.

Jarman, S.N., Gales, N.J., Tierney, M., Gill, P.C. & Elliott, N.G. 2002. A DNA-based method for identification of krill species and its application to analysing the diet of marine vertebrate predators. Molecular Ecology 11:2679-2690.

Gales, N.J., Hindell, M and Kirkwood, R. (Editors) 2003. Marine Mammals and Humans: Fisheries, Tourism and Management. CSIRO Press, Melbourne, Australia. 446pp.

Costa, D.P, and Gales, N. J.2003. Energetics of a benthic diver: seasonal foraging ecology of the Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinera. Ecolological Monographs 73(1):27-43.

Gales, N.J., Brennan, A. and Baker, R. 2003. Ethics and marine mammal science. Marine mammals and humans (Eds: Gales, N.J., Hindell, M., Kirkwood, R.). CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, Victoria. 321-330.

Gales, N.J., McCauley, R., Lanyon, J. and Holley, D. 2004. Changes in abundance of dugongs in the Shark Bay, Ningaloo and Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia: Evidence of large scale movements? Wildlife Research 31:283-290.

Chilvers, B.L., Delean, S., Gales, N.J., Holley, D.K, Ivan R. Lawler, I.R, Marsh, H.,  and Preen, A. 2004. Diving behaviour of dugongs Dugong dugon. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology 304:203-224.

Gales, N.J., Barnes, J., Chittick, B., Gray, M., Robinson, S., Burns, J. and Costa, D. 2005. Effective, field-based inhalational anaesthesia for ice seals. Marine Mammal Science 21:717-727.

Gales, N.J., Kasuya, T., Clapham, P. and Brownell, R.L. 2005. Japans whaling plan under scruitiny: useful science or unregulated commercial whaling? Nature 435: 883-884.

Bejder, L., Samuels, A., Whitehead, H., Gales, N.J., Mann, J., Connor, R., Heithaus, M., Watson-Capps, J., Flaherty, C. and Krutzen, M. 2006. Decline in relative abundance of bottlenose dolphins exposed to long-term disturbance. Conservation Biology. In Press.

Reeves, R.R. and Gales, N.J. 2006. Realities in Baiji Conservation. Conservation Biology 20:626-628.

Clapham, P.J., Childerhouse, S., Gales, N.J., Rojas-Bracho, L., Tillman, M.F. and Brownell, R.L. 2007. The whaling issue: Conservation, confusion and casuistry. Marine Policy.

Gales, N.J., Clapham, P., and Baker, C.S. 2007. A case for killing humpback whales? Nature Precedings http://hdl.nature.com/10101/npre.2007.13.13.1.

Nicol, S., Croxall, J., Trathan, P., Gales, N. and Murphy, E. 2007. Paradigm misplaced? Antarctic marine ecosystems are affected by climate change as well as biological processes and harvesting. Antarctic Science.

Gales, N.J., Leaper, R. and Papastavrou, V. 2008. Is Japans whaling humane? Marine Policy 32:408-412.

Gales, N.J., Woods, R., and Vogelnes, L. In Press. Marine mammal strandings and the role of the veterinarian. In Medicine of Australian Mammals (Ed; Vogelnest, L., and Woods, R). CSIRO Publishing.

Campbell, R.A., Gales, N.J., Lento, G.M., and Baker C.S. 2008. Islands in the Sea: extreme female natal site fidelity in the Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea. Biology Letters, 4:139-142.

Campbell, R.A., Holley, D., Chrisianopolous, D, Caputi, N and Gales, N.J. 2008. Mitigation of incidental mortality of Australian sea lions in the est coast rock lobster fishery. Endangered Species Research 5:345-358.