Marine Expert Statement Calling for a Pause to Deep-Sea Mining
Signed by 653 marine science & policy experts from over 44 countries
The deep sea is home to a significant proportion of Earth’s biodiversity, with most species yet to be discovered. The richness and diversity of organisms in the deep sea supports ecosystem processes necessary for the Earth’s natural systems to function. The deep ocean also constitutes more than 90% of the biosphere, and plays a key role in climate regulation, fisheries production, and elemental cycling. It is an integral part of the culture and well-being of local communities and the seafloor forms part of the common heritage of humankind. However, deep-sea ecosystems are currently under stress from a number of anthropogenic stressors including climate change, bottom trawling and pollution. Deep-sea mining would add to these stressors, resulting in the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning that would be irreversible on multi-generational timescales. Amongst the specific concerns over the impacts of deep-sea mining are:
the direct loss of unique and ecologically important species and populations as a result of the degradation, destruction or elimination of seafloor habitat, many before they have been discovered and understood;
the production of large, persistent sediment plumes that would affect seafloor and midwater species and ecosystems well beyond the actual mining sites;
the interruption of important ecological processes connecting midwater and benthic ecosystems;
the resuspension and release of sediment, metals and toxins into the water column, both from mining the seafloor and the discharge of mining wastewater from ships, detrimental to marine life including the potential for contamination of commercially important species of food fish such as tunas;
noise pollution arising from industrial machine activity on the ocean floor and the transport of ore slurries in pipes to the sea surface, that could cause physiological and behavioral stress to marine mammals and other marine species;
uncertain impacts on carbon sequestration dynamics and deep-ocean carbon storage.
There is a paucity of rigorous scientific information available concerning the biology, ecology and connectivity of deep-sea species and ecosystems, as well as the ecosystem services they provide. Without this information, the potential risks of deep-sea mining to deep-ocean biodiversity, ecosystems and functioning, as well as human well-being, cannot be fully understood. At the same time, a growing number of scientific reports (IPBES, IPCC, etc.) indicate that Earth's biodiversity is increasingly at risk of extinction.
For the reasons outlined above, we strongly recommend that the transition to the exploitation of mineral resources be paused until sufficient and robust scientific information has been obtained to make informed decisions as to whether deep-sea mining can be authorized without significant damage to the marine environment and, if so, under what conditions. The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) provides an opportune period in which to collect more information about the species and ecosystems that could be affected by deep-sea mining. As scientists, we deeply value evidence-based decision making, especially in instances as consequential as a global decision to open up an entirely new frontier of the ocean to large-scale industrial resource exploitation. The sheer importance of the ocean to our planet and people, and the risk of large-scale and permanent loss of biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem functions, necessitates a pause of all efforts to begin mining of the deep sea, in line with the precautionary principle, and an acceleration of research so that we can gain a better understanding of what is at stake.
Statement signatories
Lucas A’Bear
Amin Abdallah
Dr. Mohamed Adel
Andreas Aditya Salim
Dr. Arturo Angulo Sibaja
Oscar Albornoz
Joan Alfaro
Krisha Algoso
Dr. Diva Amon
Dr Jeremy Anbleyth-Evans
Dr. Jesper Andersen
Jada Tullos Anderson
Yochi Andrawina
Diana Antochiw
Víctor Aramayo
Dr. Inés Aramendía
Gonzalo Araujo
Dr. Jeff Ardron
Russell Arnott
Siti Indriasari Galuh Sekar Arum
Victoria Assad
Dr. Trisha Atwood
Dr. Asta Audzijonyte
Dr. Steve Auscavitch
Dr. Peter J Auster
Dr. David Bailey
Dr. Maria Baker
Carla Baleani
Jake Ballard
Kelsey Archer Barnhill
Dr. Thibaut Barreyre
Dr. Amanda Bates
Chloé Baumas
Dr. Narissa Bax
Sarah Becker
Danielle Becker
Lara Beckmann
Dr. María Belén Alfonso
Maximiliano Bello
Lila Ardor Bellucci
Sophie Benbow
Frida Bengtsson
Dr. Melanie Bergmann
Franziska S. Bergmeier
Julio Bernal
Hannah Bernard
Daniela Bertotto
Tadzio Bervoets
Dr. Christiane Biermann
Dr. Holly Bik
Meri Bilan
Giles Blackie
Dr. Robert Blasiak
Magdalena Błażewicz
Dr. Joana Boavida
Dr. W.Frank Bohlen
Dr Monika Bohm
Dr. Paulo Bonifácio
Dr. Pablo Borboroglu
Dr. Cesar Bordehore
Natascha Borgstein
Dr. Angel Borja
Dr. Stephanie Borrelle
Catherine Borremans
Dr. Noelle Bowlin
Dr. Katlin Bowman
Dr. James Bradley
Clara Braña
Dr. Simone Nunes Brandao
Dr. Angelika Brandt
Dr. Miriam Brandt
Dr. Justin Brashares
Dr. Madeleine Brasier
Dr. María Emilia Bravo
William Brazelton
Dr. Corinna Breusing
Emmeline Broad
Dr. Deborah Bronk
Dr. Sandra Brooke
Dr. Mercer Brugler
Otis Brunner
River Bryant
Salome Buglass
Dr. Lene Buhl-Mortensen
Dr Nancy Bunbury
Dr.Dennis Bunke
Valerie Burgener
Dr. Julian Burgos
Dr. Stephanie Bush
Paul Butler
Wilfred Calder-Potts
Lic. Sergio Cambronero Solano
Dr. Christopher Cameron
Andy Cameron
Dr. Neus Campanyà-Llovet
Ana Campoy
Alessandra Cani
Dr. Mathilde Cannat
Catia Canteiro
Juan Carlos Cardenas
Dr. Anais Cario
Gabrielle Carmine
Dr. Bethanie Carney Almroth
Jane Carrick
Amber Carter
Mariano Castro
Dr. Peter Castro
Dr. Teresa Cerqueira
Dr. Florencia Cerutti
Dr. Abbie Chapman
Natasha Chapplow
Alexis Chappuis
Dr. Chong Chen
Mathieu Chevalier
Dr. Giovanni Chimienti
Caroline Chin
Dr. Anela Choy
Dr. Lionel Christiaen
Tyler-Rae Chung
Gabriella Church
Alessia Ciraolo
Nichola Clark
Dr. Matthew Clarkson
Dr. Joachim Claudet
Mary Clinton
Sara Cognuck González
Dr. Sarah Cohen
Dr. Erik Cordes
Dr. Jorge Cortés
André Costa
Tanya Cox
Chestina Craig
Jessica Cramp
Dr. Simon Cripps
Dr. Emma Critchley
Dr. Fabio Crocetta
Dr. Katy Croff Bell
Danielle Crowley
Brittany Cummings
Dr. Marina R. Cunha
Dr. Amelia Curd
Bronwen Currie
Dr. Daphne Cuvelier
J Cybulski
Dr. Helen Czerski
Michelle Dan
Dr. Paul Dando
Rebecca Daniel
Theresa Davenport
Isabel De Block
Dr. Asha de Vos
Dr. Amy Deacon
Dr. Stacey DeAmicis
Aiko Love del Rosario
Fernando Delgado Huechepan
Ombretta Dell'Acqua
Dr. Elizabeth DeLoughrey
Elena Desiderà
Dr. Lyndon DeVantier
Christian M Diaz Sanchez
Grete Elisabeth Dinesen
Dr. Alessia Dinoi
Dr. John Dolan
Dr. Tara Dolan
Dr. John Dower
Rachel Downey
Ulrike Drähne
Dr. Patrick Drupp
Dr. Cherisse Du Preez
Dr. Carlos Duarte
Dr. Stanislas Dubois
Dr. Luisa Dueñas
Dr. Daniel Dunn
Maria Duperron
Dr. Carole Durussel
Dr. Sylvia Earle
Dr. Marjan Eggermont
Sonigitu Asibong Ekpe
Dr. Abigail Entwistle
Dr. Javier Escartin
Dr. Elva Escobar-Briones
Dr. Patricia Esquete
Rebecca Evans
Dr. Julian Evans
Jacqueline Evans
Dr. Lorin Sonigitu Ekpe
Ben Farmer
Dr. Sarah Faulwetter
Frederik Feldmann
Karl Fellenius
Dr. Vicki Ferrini
Aria Finkelstein
Dr. Maria Forlenza
Daniel Fornari
Sarah Foster
Dr. Mara Freilich
Dr. Silvia Frey
Dennis Fritsch
Janessy Frometa
Susanna Fuller
Dr. Oscar Gaggiotti
Dr. Austin Gallagher
Dr. Eugene Gallagher
Dr. Monica Galligan
Dr. Natalya Gallo
Chloe Game
Dr. Anjani Ganase
Sara García-Morales
Dr. Melissa Garren
Heidi Gartner
Ryan Gasbarro
Dr. Andrey Gebruk
John Geil
Emilie Geissinger
Steve Gerber
Dr. Shane Gero
Dr. Mackenzie Gerringer
Valentin Geslin
Gurveena Ghataure
Matthew Gianni
Dr. Jonatha Giddens
Dr. Lucy Gilliam
Solene Giraudeau-Potel
Dr. Peter Girguis
Kristina Gjerde
Dr. Judith Gobin
Dr. Brendan Godley
Dr. Emanuel Gonçalves
Emilio González
Dr. Mariano Gonzalez Roglich
Dr. Fernando Gonzalez Taboada
Lucy Goodwin
Laura Gordon
Dr. Liron Goren
Hugh Govan
Adriana Gracia
Dr. Jacques Grall
Dr Huw Griffiths
Dr. Maria Grigoratou
Dr. Kirsten Grorud-Colvert
Dr. David Gruber
Dr. Benjamin Grupe
Miguel Guerreiro
Dr. Juergen Guerrero-Kommritz
Dr. Thomas P. Guilderson
Maila Guilhon
Lina Gutierrez-Cala
Linda Gustafsson
Dr. Steven Haddock
Svenja Halfter
Dr. Jason Hall-Spencer
Graham Hamley
Dr. Jennifer Hammock
Dr. Justyna Hampel
Dr. Shannon Hampton
Nova Hanson
Dr. Ellycia Harrould-Kolieb
Alexandra Haselmair
Michelle Hauer
Philip Haupt
Dr. Helena Hauss
Dr. Lucy Hawkes
Dr. Julie Hawkins
Britney Hay
Gregory Hellyer
Dr. Rebecca Helm
Dr. Sarah Helyar
Britt Henke
Charlotte Henriksen
Dr. Santiago Herrera
Erica Herrera
Dr. Nicholas Higgs
Dr. Ana Hilário
Richard Hildreth
Dr Jenny Hillman
Fabio Hochleitner
Dr. Colleen Hoffman
Raissa Hogan
Dr. Jordan Hollarsmith
Dr. Charlotte Hopkins
Dr. Tammy Horton
Pippa Howard
Dickon Howell
Dr. Kerry Howell
Sarah Hu
Dr. Julie Huber
Edvard Hviding
Federico Ibarra
Daniel Ierodiaconou
Ilysa Iglesias
Dr. Katie Inderbitzen
Rachel Irish
Evagoras Isaias
Dr. Khaira Ismail
Timur Jack-Kadioglu
Dr. Jennifer Jacquet
Dr. Aline Jaeckel
Dr. Glenn Jaecks
Dr. Annika Janssen-Kaufeld
Dr. Marcel Jaspars
Dr. Anna Jażdżewska
Dr. Rachel Jeffreys
Dr. Kenneth Johnson
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
Shannon Johnson
Dr. Emily Jones
Dr. Rose Jones
Benjamin Jones
Dr. Bo Barker Jørgensen
Dr. Siddhi Joshi
Dr. Jean-Baptiste Jouffray
Dr. Frank Joyce
Samantha Joye
Ronny Jumeau
Julia Jung
Dr. S. Kim Juniper
Lashanti Jupp
Dr. Tēvita Kaʻili
Laura Kaikkonen
Dr. Stefanie Kaiser
Dr Christopher Kaiser-Bunbury
Dr. Björn Källström
Dr. Anne R. Kapuscinski
Ulrich Karlowski
Theresa Keates
Dr. Lucy Keith-Diagne
Dr. Stefanie Keller
Dr. Christopher Kelley
Oliver Kersten
Dr. Ahmet E Kideys
Kevin Kocot
Dr. Mariano Koen-Alonso
Dr. Anna Koester
Dr. Heather Koldewey
Dr. Regina Kolzenburg
Dr. Juliana Kouwenberg
Dr. Muddula Krishna Naranji
Dr. Kerstin Kröger
Dr. Frano Kršinić
Dr. Piotr Kukliński
Dr. Biju Kumar
Dr. Slawomir Kwasniewski
Dr. Elise Laetz
Alexandra Kler Lago
Dr. Claire Laguionie Marchais
Laura Lallier
Dr. Carl Lamborg
Dr. Sven Laming
Alex Lapides
Dr. Peter Lawton
Dr. Nadine Le Bris
Leandro Ledezma
Katharina Leeb
Jan Leitinger
Astrid Leitner
Dr. Juliana Leonard
Jake Letori
Pierandrea Leucci
Dr. Lisa Levin
Pierre-Olivier Liabot
Dr. Susanna Lidstrom
Dr. Susan Lieberman
Dr. Fernando P. Lima
Dr. Steve Lindfield
Johan Lissenberg
Amanda Lloyd
Dr. Edgardo Londono-Cruz
Megan Lubetkin
Kim Ludwig
Dr. Lara Macheriotou
Dr. Annika Mackensen
Sergio Madrigal Mora
Dr. Thomas Maes
Christopher Mah
Chris Malanuk
Dr. Alenka Malej
Dr. Tracy Mandel
Anai Mangos
Judy Mann
Dr. Jeffrey Marlow
Dr. Antonio Marques
Virginie Marques
Melissa Marquez
Cyrill Martin
Dr. Irene Martins
Christophe Mason-Parker
G M Masum Billah
Dr. George Matsumoto
Jamie Maxwell
Dr. Carlotta Mazzoldi
Dr. Ana Carolina Mazzuco
Dr. Douglas McCauley
Dr. Craig McClain
Dr. Lillian McCormick
Marina McCowin
Dr. Kirsty McQuaid
Dr. Jan Mees
Beatriz Mejía Mercado
Renee Melkert
Dr. Anja Menzel
Dr. Nancy F. Mercado Salas
Dr. Andrew Merrie
Véronique Merten
Dr. Charles G Messing
Dr. Nélia Mestre
Dr. Anna Metaxas
Dr. Lisa Mevenkamp
Dr. Fiorenza Micheli
Olga Mironenko
Dr. Christian Mohn
Inga Mohrbeck
Nicolas Moity
Dr. Klas Ove Möller
Aoife Molloy
Dr. Tina Molodtsova
Dr. Enrique Montes
Erika Montoya Cadavid
Dr. Jenna Moore
José Andrés Marín Moraga
Dr. Telmo Morato
Dr. Lance Morgan
Dr. Rodrigo Moura
Berry Mulligan
Pablo Muniz
Sheryl Murdock
Kieran Murray
Tyler Murray-Ramcharan
Dr. Sandor Mulsow
Dr. Nyawira Muthiga
Constantinos C Mylonas
Dr. Kakha Nadiradze
Dr. Eduardo Najera Hillman
Melina Nalmpanti
Beatriz Naranjo Elizondo
Dr. Bhavani Narayanaswamy
Jerry Natanine
Dr. Carlos Neira
Dr. Danielle Nembhard
Dr. Mei Lin Neo
Tanguy Nicolas
Dr. Karina Nielsen
Dr. Holly Niner
Dagnia Nolasco
Dr. Clifton Nunnally
Dr. David Obura
Dr. Irene Olive
Dr. Beth Orcutt
Dr. Guillermo Ortuño Crespo
Dr. Maartje Oostdijk
Dean Page
Dr. Ellen Pape
Dr. Chiara Papetti
Lola Paradinas
Dr. Usha Parameswaran
Dr. Camilla Parzanini
Kelvin Passfield
Dr. Vardhan Patankar
Geoffrey Patton
Dr. Maria Luiza Pedrotti
Dr. Álvaro Peña
Ana Carolina Peralta
Olívia Pereira
Jessica Perelman
Maëva Perez
Dr. Vanesa Perillo
Dr. Teale N. Phelps Bondaroff
Loreley Picourt
Felicity Pike
Beth Pike
Rebecca Plant
Dr. Carrie Pomeroy
Dr. Alessandro Ponzo
Sarah Popov
Dr. Joanne S Porter
Dr. Anne Marie Power
Dr. Sian Prior
Dr. Eleonora Puccinelli
Dr. Patricia Martí Puig
Andrea Quattrini
Muriel Rabone
Dr. Sofia Ramalho
Kavya Ramesh
Dr. Eva Ramirez-Llodra
Juita Ramli
Jose Ramon Delgado
Mariella Rasotto
Ascensão Ravara
Dr. Sabine Rech
Dr. Eoghan Reeves
Susan Reid
Jasmin Renz
Patricia Ricard
Dr. Pascale Ricard
Dr. Bertrand Richer de Forges
Dr. Adela Roa-Varon
Dr. Murray Roberts
Dr. Callum Roberts
Dr. Craig Robertson
Dr. Nathan Robinson
Dr. Luiz Rocha
Dr. Clara Rodrigues
Alexandre Rodriguez
Adriana Rodriguez Bermudez
Dr. Desiree Roerdink
Stefanie Rog
Dr. Alex Rogers
Callum Rollo
Dr. Mercedes Rosello
Dr. Randi Rotjan
Dr. Helen Rozwadowski
Luis Rubio
Dr. Etienne Ruellan
Dr. Naidu SA
Dr. Enric Sala
Dr. Anna Sanchez-Vidal
Dr. Gorka Sancho
Sunil Santha
Nadia Santodomingo
Dr. Helen Scales
Dr. Robert Scheibling
Dr. Stefano Schiaparelli
Brian Schlining
Dr. Timm Schoening
Dr. Sandra Schoettner
Raphael Seguin
Dr. Charlotte Seid
Shah Selbe
Javier Sellanes
Dr. Fred Serchuk
Dr. Katerina Sevastou
Dr. Timothy Shank
Dr. Arvind Shantharam
Dr. Stephanie Sharuga
Dr. Oliver Shipley
Thomas C Shirley
Rohini Shivamoggi
Dr. Julia Sigwart
Frances Simmons
Prof. Steve Simpson
Pradeep Singh
Dr. Ravail Singh
Lívia Sinigaglia
Dr. Frederic Sinniger Harii
Dr. Marilou Sison-Mangus
Dr. Martin Skov
Dr. Jason Smith
Inge Smith
Marc Smith-Evans
Dr. Joana Soares
Alice Soccodato
Dr. Zacharie Sohou
Adam Sokołowski
Rabia Somers
Dr. Eulogio Soto Oyarzún
Chelsey Souza
Mark J. Spalding
John Starmer
Dr Paris Stefanoudis
Julia Stefanschitz
Dr. Dirk Steinke
Vanessa Stenvers
Dr. Jonathon Stillman
Dr. Willem Stock
Ina Stoltenberg
Dr. Cait Storr
Austen Elizabeth Stovall
Dr. Rashid Sumaila
Dr. Paulo Sumida
Dr. Jason Sylvan
Dr. Angela Szesciorka
Sheena Talma
Dr. Christian Tamburini
Prue Taylor
Dr. Michelle Taylor
Dr. Michelle Taylor
Dr. Fernando Tempera
Dr. Tarek Temraz
Torsten Thiele
Elin Thomas
Dr. Kirsten Thompson
Esther Thomsen
Dr. David Thornalley
Dr. Ann Thornton
Dr. Andrew Thurber
Dana Tigarea
Dr. Ekin Tilic
Dr. Beatrice Tomasi
Olga Trela
James Tremlett
Dana Tricarico
Daniela Truchet
Dr. Anastasios Tselepides
Dr. Sandy Tudhope
Verena Tunnicliffe
Evangelos Tzanatos
Judith Underwood
Sebastian Unger
Chinonso Uzowihe
Vasilis Valavanis
Loïc Van Audenhaege
Dave van Beuningen
Dr. Jesse van der Grient
Dr. Sancia van der Meij
Judith van Leeuwen
Yens Vandenboer
Callie Veelenturf
Dr. Monica Verbeek
Dr. Saskia Vermeylen
Dr. Frederique Viard
Diana Villagran
Dr. Amanda Vincent
Beatriz Vinha
Dr. Martin Visbeck
Bianca Vogt
Dr.-Ing. Matthias Voigt
Susan von Thun
Dr. Colette Wabnitz
Dr. Andrea Waeschenbach
Dr. Daniel Wagner
Paula Walker
Jessica Walker
Katy Walker
Hans Walters
Dr. Ben Ward
Dr. Bob Warner
Dr. Sophia Wassermann
Dr. Les Watling
Lindy Weilgart
Dr. Jacob Wenegrat
Dr. Edith Widder
Dr. Helena Wiklund
Antonella Wilby
Dr. Alix Willemez
Rosie Williams
Dr. Nancy Williams
Haley Williams
Jacob Winnikoff
Dr. Lucy Woodall
Matt Woodstock
Dr. Boris Worm
Jessika Woroniak
Dr. Katrine Worsaae
Dr. Dawn Wright
Erik Wurz
Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki
Joana Xavier
Dr. Semra Yalcin
Ana Belen Yanez Suarez
Moriaki Yasuhara
Daniela Yepes-Gaurisas
Dr. Hillary Young
Dr. Emily Young
Uwe Zajonz
Dr. Anna Zalik
Carlo Zampieri
Ilena Zanella
Dr. Amanda Ziegler
Dr. Rachel Zuercher
Selby Zuma
Peer-review journal resources
Singh, 2022. The Invocation of the ‘Two-Year Rule’ at the International Seabed Authority: Legal Consequences and Implications https://doi.org/10.1163/15718085-bja10098
Amon et al., 2022. Assessment of scientific gaps related to the effective environmental management of deep-seabed mining https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105006
Duarte et al., 2020. Rebuilding marine life https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2146-7
Drazen et al., 2020. Opinion: Midwater ecosystems must be considered when evaluating environmental risks of deep-sea mining https://www.pnas.org/content/117/30/17455
Levin et al., 2020. Challenges to the sustainability of deep-seabed mining https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-0558-x
Smith et al., 2020. Deep-Sea Misconceptions Cause Underestimation of Seabed-Mining Impacts https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169534720301828#!
IUCN Deep seabed mining report, 2018 https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/47761
Miller et al., 2018. An Overview of Seabed Mining Including the Current State of Development, Environmental Impacts, and Knowledge Gaps https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2017.00418/full
Niner et al., 2018. Deep-Sea Mining With No Net Loss of Biodiversity—An Impossible Aim https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2018.00053/full
Van Dover et al., 2017. Biodiversity loss from deep-sea mining https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo2983
Levin et al., 2016. Defining “serious harm” to the marine environment in the context of deep-seabed mining https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X1630495X?via%3Dihub
Wedding et al., 2015. Managing mining of the deep seabed https://science.sciencemag.org/content/349/6244/144.summary
Sign the statement
Please join other marine science & policy experts calling for a pause to deep-sea mining until sufficient and robust scientific information has been obtained to make informed decisions about whether to go ahead.
If you are not an expert but still wished to be involved, you can add your name to the open letter calling for a stop to deep-sea mining, organized by the Sustainable Ocean Alliance and the Oxygen Project.
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