Cruise HALIPRO 1 

• Place: New Caledonia
  South and east coast
  
• Participants:
  • René Grandperrin (mission chief)
  • Bertrand Richer de Forges
  • Jean-Louis Menou
  • Robert Leborgne
  • Martine Rodier
  • Gérard Moutham
  • Alain Lapetite
• Material used:
  • Ship: R.V. Alis
  • Sampling tackles:
    • Otter-trawl for shrimp
    • Beam-trawl
    • Otter-trawl for fish
• Stations list
  
• Results:
  • New taxa
  • Publications

Abstract

The cruise HALIPRO 1 was the flrst of a series of cruises devoted to the estimation of the trawlable fisheries resources between 200 and 1200 m within the EEZ of New Caledonia. It was originally aimed at exploring the whole East Coast. However, the presence of two cyclones made it was splited into two parts: from 18-25 March in the southern part of the East Coast and from 29 March to 1st April 1994 in the south of the main island. As no reliable bathymetric chart was available at the time of the survey, a careful check of the seabed topography was made prior each trawling. the gears used were a beam-trawl (CP), an otter-trawl for shrimp (CC) and an otter-trawl for fish (CH). A total of 32 hauls were made (14 CP, 3 CC and 15 CH) of which 10 were completed in the South (1 CP and 9 CH). Fish were weighted, counted and identified either at sea on fresh material or in the laboratory on land on frozen samples. Many photos were taken at sea. Many samples of fish and invertebrates were sent to Paris at me "Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle" for dispatching to a world network of specialists for identification and taxonomic studies. At a scientific view point, the cruise HALIPRO 1 was a success mainly due to the use of three trawls of different sizes. This induced the catch of many different species of which some are new to the zone or even to science. 180 species belonging to 78 families were identified. A total of 4269 specimens were caught amounting for a weight of 603 kg. the comparaison of fish catches from the East Coast to the ones from the South shows that fish communities of the two zones are fairly different. These differences are mainly due to me nature of the substrate which is muddy on the East Coast while it is harder in the South. As for as fishery potential is concerned, only 89 commercial fish belonging to 5 species were caught amounting for a total weight of 18,7 kg. Trawlings on the East Coast show no indication of existing exploitable fishery resources. Commercial fish and shrimps were more abundant in the South. However, the presence of large blocks undetectable with usual echo-sounders would there hamper commercial trawlings.