Canal de la Havannah, New Caledonia Ioro, a site in the southern lagoon of New Caledonia, has been working from August 2007 to early 2009. The initial goal was to survey water quality in the lagoon and the impact of the Goro-Nickel project (today VALE Nouvelle Calédonie) by following and analyzing the behaviour of 16 giant clams Hippopus hippopus. The clams were immersed at 3-4 m on the west of the IORO reef, in the Havannah channel. The electronic was partly in the sea, by the clams, partly in a lighthouse (Lighthouses and Buoy Service of New Caledonia). See above pictures). Every day, all data collected the day before were sent to Arcachon, France, to be analysed and published immediatly as easy reading graphs. Today, we have 1.5 years of data that can be used as reference data as Goro-Nickel was not working yet. This is a unique tool. The animals and the electronic were located in a cage that was secured on a flat piece of concrete. The whole stuff was secured on a dead porites coral. All the undersea work was done by the divers working at the IRD Noumea. The job was well done as we succesfully face the hurricane GENE in late January - early February 2008.      |
