Photo: Conrad Moleta
Surfrider participated in a global activation to protect the ocean from harmful seabed mining. Contact your representatives to make your voice heard!
On July 20, Surfrider Foundation joined partners across the globe to rally against the destructive practice of deep-sea mining. At one of over 30 events held in 25 different countries, Surfrider’s O'ahu Chapter and a coalition of local organizations convened at Ala Moana Beach Park to call for government leadership and warn of the potential harm to marine ecosystems, communities, economies, and cultural heritage. Surfrider thanks all the partners involved in the global event, including Surfrider Australia, the Deep-Sea Conservation Coalition, and numerous Indigenous leaders and groups.
Video: Paolo Marra-Biggs
In the United States, federal leaders are moving to fast-track approvals for deep-sea mining in both U.S. waters and international waters. The Trump administration has issued an executive order that directs federal agencies to expedite permitting for seabed exploration and mining of minerals such as nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, and titanium. Wasting no time, the Department of Interior is already streamlining the project approval process for all U.S. waters. The agency is also targeting American Samoa as the first region for seabed mining development despite unified opposition from the American Samoa
At the global level, the administration is weakening regulations for U.S. companies to mine in international waters. This action contradicts the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and sets a dangerous international precedent. Ignoring international governance also poses geopolitical risk by undermining the United States’ ability to demand compliance from other nations on illegal fishing and maritime navigation. Alarmingly, there’s no regulatory framework for seabed mining in international waters, but the International Seabed Authority is currently developing regulations and a process for environmental review.
Tell Congress to stop harmful seabed mining projects off our coasts!
Seabed mining is the industrial-scale prospecting for metals and other minerals along the ocean floor. Such activity can damage marine habitats that nurture commercially and recreationally important fish, and numerous other species. Seabed mining can also create sediment clouds in the water column that smother or negatively impact the feeding and reproduction of marine life, including plankton, groundfish, salmon, and forage fish. These sediment clouds and the associated noise of seabed mining can also harm whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals.
Seabed mining can generate massive sediment clouds that harm fish, sharks, and other marine life. Photo: NOAA
In deeper waters, seabed mining can involve scraping a foot or more off seamounts that are rich in nodules containing minerals. These “underwater mountains” are often located near hydrothermal vents at 4,600 to 12,100 feet below the ocean’s surface and host complex communities containing incredible biodiversity. Such areas include sensitive species of corals and sponges, as well as tuna, sharks, dolphins, and sea turtles. Destructive seabed mining increasingly targets these magnificent places, causing irreparable damage to their unique ecosystems.
A Misguided Gold Rush to Exploit the Ocean
Across the globe, a frantic race is underway among both nations and corporate titans to extract various metals from the world’s ocean. Driven by advances in extractive technology and increasing demand for cobalt, manganese, nickel, gold, and other minerals, a growing industry is looking at the ocean as the “next frontier” to harvest these resources. According to reports deep-seabed mining could soon begin in the world’s ocean before the risks and impacts are even understood.
Proposed deep-sea mining off American Samoa threatens marine ecosystems, fishing and tourism industries, and cultural resources.
Yet, the economic costs of deep-sea mining have been shown to outweigh the benefits. No commercial deep-sea mining is happening anywhere in the world - the technology is undeveloped, untested, and unproven - and there are many uncertainties regarding environmental impacts. Like all deep ocean operations, deep-sea mining will have extraordinarily high up-front costs and is unlikely to be competitive without government support. As it stands, an emerging deep sea mining industry is likely to benefit foreign interests over American people.
Further, there is broad global opposition to unregulated seabed mining in the world’s ocean. Over 33 countries and jurisdictions, over 900 science and policy experts, and hundreds of indigenous communities are calling for a pause, moratorium, or ban. U.S. states and territories including California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaiʻi, American Samoa, and Guam have either prohibited, banned, or restricted deep-sea mining within territorial waters. Even large companies which utilize minerals targeted by deep-sea mining such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, and BMW have supported a moratorium and/ or committed to not source minerals mined from seabed in their supply chains.
The Role of Consumers: Reducing Our Demand
Surfrider urges our supporters to consider how personal actions can contribute to interest in seabed mining. An increasing number of products, from cell phones to supercomputers, depend on metals that can be found on the ocean floor. As highlighted in popular media coverage, the growth of the electric car industry is also responsible for fueling interest in seabed mining. That’s why all of us who are fortunate to enjoy a first-world lifestyle must take responsibility for consuming less – of everything. It also reinforces the key role that recycling of products containing precious metals – phones, cars, batteries, computers – must play in limiting the demand for more raw materials to be mined from the land and ocean.
Learn More and Take Action
Action Alert: Prevent Harmful Seabed Mining
Stop Harmful Seabed Mining in U.S. and Global Waters