Jaimie Cleeland

King Edward Point Science Manager

Jaimie Cleeland

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Jaimie Cleeland

Biography

I am a marine ecologist with a focus on high-latitude ecosystems, particularly the ways marine species respond to environmental change and human activities. My research aims to understand how factors such as climate change, fisheries, and invasive species influence population dynamics, foraging behaviour, and long-term species viability.
My background includes a PhD in Southern Ocean ecology and a Graduate Diploma in Quantitative Marine and Antarctic Studies, with an emphasis on ecological modelling. I have worked across several national Antarctic programs, including the Australian Antarctic Division, British Antarctic Survey, and South African National Antarctic Programme. Over the past decade, I’ve contributed to long-term monitoring and field research on remote islands such as Macquarie, Gough, Heard and South Georgia, and participated in numerous Southern Ocean voyages.
My current research involves collaborative projects on seabird and seal demography, fisheries target species and bycatch, and ecosystem-based management, including contributions to CCAMLR working groups and multi-national survey design. I work closely with students and technical staff, and enjoy developing tools and methods for improving data quality and ecological understanding.
I am interested in applied science that can inform conservation and fisheries management in the Southern Ocean, particularly through partnerships between researchers, managers, and industry. I value collaborative, practical approaches to ecological research and remain committed to supporting efforts that improve outcomes for marine ecosystems.

Research interests

My research focuses on how environmental change and human activities, such as fisheries and invasive species, affect the ecology and population dynamics of Southern Ocean marine species, particularly predators and fish. I use statistical and spatial modelling to examine links between foraging behaviour, survival, recruitment, and population viability. A central aim is to support ecosystem-based management by integrating long-term monitoring with collaborative, applied research. I’m especially interested in population-level responses to environmental change and improving the use of science to inform fisheries bycatch mitigation and sustainable management of high-latitude marine ecosystems.

Collaborations

Australian Antarctic Division

University of Tasmania

University of Canterbury

University of Bangor

French National Museum of Natural History

University of Colorado

  • Faure, J., Jones, R., Grima, M., Appert, C., Péron, C., Gasco, N., Lamb, T., Ziegler, P., & Cleeland, J.B. (2024). A condition assessment and handling guidelines for skate (Rajiformes) bycatch in demersal longline fisheries: Lessons from the Southern Indian Ocean. SSRN. https://ssrn.com/abstract=4914196
  • Miller, B.S., Masere, C., Milnes, M., Cleeland, J.B., Lamb, T., Maschette, D., & Welsford, D. (2024). Heard off Heard: Acoustic detections of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) and other cetaceans off Heard Island. JASA Express Letters, 4(6), 061201.
  • Volzke, S., Cleeland, J.B., McMahon, C.R., Hindell, M.A., Corney, S.P., & Wotherspoon, S.J. (2024). Modeling climate influences on male survival in the highly polygynous southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina). Ecosphere, 15(6), e4904. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4904
  • Clark, B.L., Carneiro, A.P.B., Pearmain, E.J., Rouyer, M.M., Clay, T.A., … Cleeland, J.B. (2023). Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds. Nature Communications, 14, 3665.
  • Volzke, S., Cleeland, J.B., Hindell, M.A., Corney, S.P., Wotherspoon, S.J., & McMahon, C.R. (2023). Extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal. Royal Society Open Science, 10.
  • White, W.T., O’Neill, H.L., Cleeland, J.B., & Lamb, T.D. (2022). Further description of the Kerguelen sandpaper skate Bathyraja irrasa (Rajiformes: Arhynchobatidae) based on additional specimens, including egg cases and embryos. Journal of Fish Biology, 101, 659–675.
  • Wong, D., Smart, J.J., Barrow, J., Cleeland, J.B., Yates, P., Ziegler, P., & Rizzari, J.R. (2022). Age, growth and maturity of Southern Ocean skates (Bathyraja spp.) from the Kerguelen Plateau. Polar Biology, 45, 1119–1130.
  • Beal, M., Dias, M.P., Phillips, R.A., Oppel, S., Hazin, C., … Cleeland, J.B. (2021). Global political responsibility for the conservation of albatrosses and large petrels. Science Advances, 7.
  • Cleeland, J.B., Pardo, D., Raymond, B., Tuck, G.N., McMahon, C.R., Phillips, R.A., Alderman, R., Lea, M.A., & Hindell, M.A. (2021). Disentangling the influence of three major threats on the demography of an albatross community. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8.
  • Carneiro, A.P.B., Pearmain, E.J., Oppel, S., Clay, T.A., Phillips, R.A., … Cleeland, J.B. (2020). A framework for mapping the distribution of seabirds by integrating tracking, demography and phenology. Journal of Applied Ecology, 57, 514–525.
  • Cleeland, J.B., Pardo, D., Raymond, B., Terauds, A., Alderman, R., McMahon, C.R., Phillips, R.A., Lea, M.A., & Hindell, M.A. (2020). Introduced species and extreme weather as key drivers of reproductive output in three sympatric albatrosses. Scientific Reports, 10, 8199.
  • Hindell, M.A., Reisinger, R.R., Ropert-Coudert, Y., Hückstädt, L.A., Trathan, P.N., … Cleeland, J.B. (2020). Tracking of marine predators to protect Southern Ocean ecosystems. Nature, 580, 87–92.
  • Jones, C.W., Risi, M.M., Osborne, A.M., Parker, G.C., Rexer-Huber, K., … Cleeland, J.B. (2020). Abundance, distribution and breeding success of the endemic Gough Island finch Rowettia goughensis between 2009 and 2018. Emu, 120, 230–238.
  • Requena, S., Oppel, S., Bond, A.L., Hall, J., Cleeland, J.B., … (2020). Marine hotspots of activity inform protection of a threatened community of pelagic species in a large oceanic jurisdiction. Animal Conservation.
  • Ropert-Coudert, Y., Van de Putte, A.P., Reisinger, R.R., Bornemann, H., … Cleeland, J.B. (2020). The retrospective analysis of Antarctic tracking data project. Scientific Data, 7.
  • Cleeland, J.B., Alderman, R., Bindoff, A., Lea, M.A., McMahon, C.R., Phillips, R.A., Raymond, B., Sumner, M.D., Terauds, A., Wotherspoon, S.J., & Hindell, M.A. (2019). Factors influencing the habitat use of sympatric albatrosses from Macquarie Island, Australia. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 609, 221–237.
  • Jones, C.W., Risi, M.M., Cleeland, J.B., & Ryan, P.G. (2019). First evidence of mouse attacks on adult albatrosses and petrels breeding on sub-Antarctic Marion and Gough Islands. Polar Biology, 42, 619–623.
  • Cleeland, J.B., Lea, M.A., & Hindell, M.A. (2014). Use of the Southern Ocean by breeding short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 450, 109–117.

Publications from NERC Open Research Archive

  • Higher Predator Monitoring at Cumberland Bay
  • The ECHO Surveys: Long term monitoring of plankton communities in South Georgia waters
  • Transmission, Spread, and Population Impacts of Avian Influenza on South Georgia Wildlife
  • Synchronised swimming: penguins and krill swarms on the South Georgia shelf.
  • South Georgia Groundfish Survey
  • Evaluating climate change risks to Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish