| Summary: | The Chesterfield Archipelago is a large, uninhabited complex located in the central Coral Sea (19°-22°S, 158°-160°E), halfway between Australia and the main island of New Caledonia. It is composed of two main plateaus, the Chesterfield platform and the Bellona platform (Missègue and Collot 1987), covering a total area of about 16,000 km2. These platforms are surrounded by reefs, islets and coral sand cays, forming relatively shallow lagoons (45-80 m deep) largely open to the Coral Sea. This vast complex potentially represents an important habitat for cetaceans, in particular for wintering humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) that typically spend their breeding season in these latitudes. Several points suggest that the archipelago is, or at least was, important for this species.
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