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The fish of the Chesterfield islands, a region midway between the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and New Caledonia, have been sampled during several cruises by ORTSTOM between 1984 and 1989. Information from these cruises and other sources are compiled into the first fish checklist of this region. A total of 866 taxa, representing 134 families, are recorded. 134 taxa are identified to the genus level, of which 58 could be new to science. This fish fauna of the Chesterfield islands has closer affinities with that of New Caledonia than to the GBR. One notices also the low representation of several genera (Neopomacentrus, Colopsis, Siganus, Abudefduf) which are abundant in both New Caledonia and on the GBR.

The Gilbert Islands are a part of the- Gilbert and Ellice Islands Crown Colony of Great Britain, They lie in the Pacific Ocean directly southeast of the Marshall Islands and straddle the equator from 3 degrees North Latitude to 3 degrees South Latitude. All are low islands and most are atolls. They are densely inhabited by Micronesian people who are greatly dependent on the sea for food.