John,

The Trump administration is aggressively pushing to open millions of acres of the Pacific Ocean to deep-sea mining. This form of mining involves scraping the ocean floor for metals and minerals, creating huge plumes of sediment that smothers nearby ecosystems and irreparably harms deep-sea life.

Life on the deep ocean floor is a mysterious realm scientists have only begun to understand. They worry that the new deep-sea mining rush will do untold damage to the ocean's food web and other complex natural systems.

We need to stop the destruction before it starts. [link removed]

Right now the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is reviewing two exploration license applications from The Metals Company. The licenses would let the company start work on the world’s first-ever, full-scale deep-sea mining project: an operation affecting a vast ocean area between Hawai‘i and Mexico.

It could harm animals like deep-sea sponges, anemones, corals, worms, sea stars, and crustaceans — as well as larger creatures like sharks, rays, and migratory whales. The Metals Company’s own study found that deep-sea mining has significant impacts on ocean organisms, showing it reduced marine life by 37% in affected areas.

We know the immediate harms of deep-sea mining — from seafloor habitat loss to heavy-metals pollution — but the full extent of its long-term harms is still emerging.

Tell NOAA to reject these applications and protect the rich biodiversity of the Pacific Ocean. [link removed]

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Center for Biological Diversity
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