This map show structural features of the EEZ : to the east New-Hebrides trough (depth 10000 m), ridges or arcs of Grande Terre and Loyalty in center-east, Fairway ridge in the center, plateau of the Chesterfield reefs to the west. These ridges and plateaus are separated by basins at depths of 2000 to 4000 m (Zonéco map published on this website with the agreement of ZoNéCo).
The Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) were defined during the third UN conference on the law of the seas on 10th December 1982 (Montego Bay Convention). Each zone may extend not farther than 200 nautical miles from the territorial seas.
As early as 1976 France delineated (law n°76-655 of 16 July 1976) an EEZ zone of 188 nautical miles extending from its territorial sea, itself 12 miles wide. The EEZ of New Caledonia was created by rule n° 78-142 of 3rd February 1978. Its area is 1740000 km2.
Within the EEZ, the French Republic has sovereign rights for the exploration and exploitation of natural resources, biological and non biological on the sea bed, under it and in the ocean waters. Theses rights were transferred to New Caledonia by the law of December 1998.
Zoneco programme aims at increasing the knowledge on the EEZ with a view to assess its resources. It comprises :
- Mapping and inventory of the sea-mounts and of the external slope of the Grande Terre and the islands.
- Establishing relationship between features of the sea bed and the associated fauna.
- Identifying and acquiring data on thermo-hyaline fronts as well as on currents concentrating commercial species.
- Studying the spreading of pelagic larvae and juvenile forms.
- Carrying out genetic identification of exploitable biological resources, assessing their economic development potential and defining their management principles .
- Evaluation of the economic potential of the sea mounts with mineralisation.
- Evaluation of the hydrocarbons potential of the sedimentary basins.
Zoneco is also a scientific programme with the following objectives :
- Biological production process on sea-mounts and external slopes.
- Building up a fauna database
- Relationship between sea waters and climate events
- New Caledonia and Loyalty Islands ridges; nature and structure
- Geodynamic evolution of the collision zone between the Loyalty ridge and the New-Hebrides arc.
- Relationship between local sismicity and unstable submarine slopes.
Zoneco campaigns, Halipro et Halical
Seven Zoneco campaigns were carried-out onboard of the N.O. L'ATALANTE (IFREMER) from 1993 to 2004. They involved mapping of the sea floor, geophysics (sismic reflection, gravity, magnetism, sediment drilling) and gathering ocean data (temperature, salt content, speed of water columns, currents, XBT, thermosaline data). They were completed by halieutic prospecting with exploratory fishing with trawl net (Halipro) and deep lines (Halical).