Deep Sea Mining and Animal Welfare Impacts

Deep sea mining for polymetallic nodules and seafloor massive sulphides threatens to destroy poorly understood ecosystems containing millions of animals, raising urgent welfare and conservation questions.

Key Facts

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the Pacific alone contains an estimated 8 billion polymetallic nodules across 4 million km2
Nodule-dwelling communities take thousands to millions of years to recover after disturbance
Over 5,000 new species have been discovered in deep sea nodule fields in recent decades
Sediment plumes from mining operations can travel hundreds of kilometres and smother filter feeders
No deep sea mining has yet occurred at commercial scale, but dozens of exploration licences have been granted

Welfare Considerations

Deep sea mining would destroy the habitats of billions of animals, many unknown to science. The welfare implications are uncertain because the sentience capacity of deep sea invertebrates is largely unstudied. However, physical crushing, burial, and smothering of organisms during mining operations represent clear harms. Larger animals such as octopuses, fish, and crustaceans in mining zones likely have significant welfare interests. The irreversibility of deep sea habitat destruction makes this a precautionary welfare concern of exceptional importance.

What You Can Do

Support the moratorium on deep sea mining advocated by over 700 scientists and conservation organisations
Contact elected representatives to advocate for precautionary policies on deep sea mining licensing
Support deep sea research charities that document biodiversity before potential mining begins
Reduce demand for electronic devices that require cobalt and manganese sourced from deep sea deposits