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.
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.
