More voices within the seafood industry have raised the alarm about deep-sea mining and its potential harm to ocean ecosystems as the International Seabed Authority (ISA) convenes this week to discuss regulation of the practice.
The Global Tuna Alliance (GTA), which accounts for nearly one third of the tuna trade worldwide, and the Sustainable Seafood Coalition (SSC), which represents 45 UK organizations in the sector including supermarket chains Tesco, Waitrose, and Sainsbury’s, were among the signatories of a letter published yesterday (July 11) calling for a halt on deep-sea mining.
“It is both logical and responsible to implement the precautionary approach vis-a-vis this new extractive industry that could drastically alter the marine environment we depend on with unknown and unintended consequences,” the message read.
The letter was released as the International Seabed Authority (ISA), an intergovernmental body of 167 members states plus the European Union, begins the second part of its annual meetings in Kingston, Jamaica this week, which run from July 10 to 21. Debate over the regulation of deep-sea mining is on the agenda.
Deep-sea mining refers to the process of extracting mineral deposits from the seabed below 200 meters. The deposits can be rich with resources including copper, nickel, zinc, lithium, and manganese, opening up a vast frontier for financial gain and geopolitical competition in international waters — should the ISA permit commercial mining. The practice is controversial due to the wide-ranging environmental damage mining would cause to aquatic ecosystems.
The GTA and SSC have joined an increasing number of actors seeking to place a moratorium on the extraction of ocean minerals, including the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council, banking and financial institutions, companies like Google and BMW (and even a specific call from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff), nearly 800 marine science and policy experts across 44 countries, and more than a dozen member countries of the ISA.
Opposition to deep-sea mining is not unanimous. China, Japan, Norway, Russia, and South Korea are among the countries pushing for ocean mineral extraction. Some countries, like Norway, have claimed the resources are needed for a green energy transition, while others like China and Japan, see it as a geostrategic means to reduce dependence on foreign countries for rare minerals.
Four potential impacts of deep-sea mining on fisheries
A study published this week in Nature Partner Journals (abbreviated as “npj”) Ocean Sustainability, and cited in the seafood industry letter, outlines the environmental can of worms that deep-sea mining could open. It finds four dangerous outcomes that could impact tuna populations, and have wider environmental implications.
🐟 Discharge plumes of sediment from both mining on the sea floor and surface mining vessels could interfere with the breathing and feeding of tuna and other marine populations. The plumes, which could extend horizontally for tens to hundreds of kilometers, and vertically for hundreds to thousands of meters, could have untold impacts on a wide swath of tuna habitat.
🐟 The return-water discharge plume is likely to contain higher concentrations of toxic metals, which could find its way into the food web and bioaccumulate, impacting consumers. Given some tuna species are migratory, these metals could spread far beyond deep-sea mining sites into other fish stocks.
🐟 Mining noise could impact where tuna and their prey decide to feed and reproduce, leading to reduced catch rates in certain areas.
🐟 An increase in mining vessels could also impact tuna behavior, causing untold impacts on other species in the food web, like seabirds that feed on tuna.
Countries calling for a halt on deep-sea mining
🇨🇱 Chile
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🇫🇲 Federated States of Micronesia
🇫🇯 Fiji
🇫🇷 France
🇩🇪 Germany
🇮🇪 Ireland
🇳🇿 New Zealand
🇵🇼 Palau
🇵🇦 Panama
🇪🇸 Spain
🇸🇪 Sweden
➕ US states California, Oregon, and Washington have enacted bans, with Hawaii following suit.