A new plan would allow deep sea mining to tear apart underwater ecosystems, threatening everything from humpback whales to ancient coral. Tell the Interior Department: Don't let mining destroy these deep sea ecosystems. Add Your Name:
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John,
A pod of endangered humpback whales migrates to the Mariana Islands every winter.[1] Dipping and diving under the surface, huge fins stretch out wide like wings, spraying water in sparkling mists as they come up for air. It's breeding season when they arrive, and soon, they'll bring baby whales into the world.[2]
Deep sea mining plans could destroy the whales' winter oasis. The soothing songs of the whales could be overpowered by underwater mining equipment.[3]
The Interior Department could unleash deep sea mining east of the Mariana Trench, threatening whales, turtles, deep sea corals and so many wild and wonderful ocean animals.[4]
Tell the Interior Department: Don't mine the deep sea.
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The Mariana Trench is the deepest place on the entire planet, known as the "Grand Canyon" of the ocean.[5]
This part of our ocean is unlike anywhere else on Earth, with submarine volcanoes and flourishing coral reefs.
The highest density of sharks anywhere in the Pacific is found in this region. Spinner dolphins leap through the Marianas all year round. The rare bumphead parrotfish lives here. Bioluminescent jellyfish drift in the depths and three species of endangered sea turtles glide near the surface.[6,7]
It's an otherworldly place with so much life that has yet to be discovered. But a new deep sea mining proposal could permanently damage the homes of countless marine species.
We shouldn't mine the Grand Canyon of the ocean. Add your name: No deep sea mining near the Mariana Trench.
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Beneath the waves, underwater mountains and volcanoes attract highly diverse sea life. Like trees growing on a mountainside, corals and sponges grow along the seamounts. Thermal vents from the undersea volcanoes support squat lobsters, clams and crabs that thrive in harsh conditions.
But much like on land when mountaintops are detonated to create strip mines, underwater mountains would be carved up by deep sea mining. To extract minerals from the seamounts, dredges would scrape the crusts away, destroying the delicate sea animals that live on the rocky surfaces.[8]
Other deep sea mining operations could tear up the seafloor and kill wildlife that live there. Underwater mining could also release plumes of sediment and debris that could travel huge distances from the mining site itself, clouding the water and disturbing other ocean ecosystems too.
We don't need deep sea mining, and we certainly shouldn't do it in such a special part of our world.
Tell the Interior Department before Dec. 12: Don't move forward with deep sea mining in our oceans.
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Thank you,
Ellen Montgomery
1. "Mariana Trench Marine National Monument Management Plan - May 2024," U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, June 3, 2024.
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2. "Humpback Whale," NOAA Fisheries, July 9, 2025.
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3. Rob Hutchins, "Whales and dolphins at risk from deep-sea mining, scientists warn," Oceanographic, June 24, 2025.
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4. "Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Activities," Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, last accessed November 25, 2025.
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5. "Mariana Trench Marine National Monument," NOAA Fisheries, November 13, 2025.
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6. "Mariana Trench Marine National Monument," NOAA Fisheries, November 13, 2025.
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7. "Mariana Trench Marine National Monument Management Plan - May 2024," U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, June 3, 2024.
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8. Kelsey Lamp, Nathan Proctor, Tony Dutzik and James Horrox, "We don't need deep-sea mining," Environment America Research & Policy Center, June 18, 2024.
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