Marine

Deep-Sea Mining Impacts on Marine Animal Welfare

Deep-sea mining for polymetallic nodules and hydrothermal vent minerals causes catastrophic and irreversible harm to unique marine ecosystems and their inhabitants.

Key Facts

Polymetallic nodule fields are home to unique communities of sediment-dwelling invertebrates
Mining equipment destroys habitat over areas of thousands of square kilometres
Sediment plumes from mining suppress filter feeders over areas far beyond the mining zone
The ISA moratorium campaigns seek to prevent deep-sea mining pending fuller environmental assessment

Welfare Considerations

Deep-sea mining causes mass mortality of unique animal communities with no possibility of recovery on human timescales. Given growing evidence of invertebrate sentience, the scale of welfare harm may be enormous and has barely been considered in policy debates.

What You Can Do

Support deep-sea mining moratorium campaigns
Engage with the International Seabed Authority consultation processes
Reduce demand for minerals associated with deep-sea mining through product choices