DEEP-SEA MINING DISCHARGE CAN DISRUPT MIDWATER FOOD WEBS

Deep-sea mining discharge can disrupt midwater food webs: Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) reaction to new study.  A new peer-reviewed study warns that deep-sea mining could have catastrophic effects far beyond the seabed. The research shows that when mining waste is discharged into the ocean’s mid-water “twilight zone,” it replaces natural, nutrient-rich marine snow with nutrient-poor mining particles, effectively flooding the ocean’s food web with empty calories. These artificial particles, made up of pulverised rock and sediment, are almost devoid of nutrition, but small marine animals can’t tell the difference.

The result is a silent starvation: zooplankton and small fish ingest the mining particles thinking they are food, leaving them energy-depleted even as their stomachs are full. The study shows that this disruption could cascade through the entire midwater food web, impacting larger predators, global fisheries, and the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon.

The research, conducted in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone (CCZ), the target of the first commercial deep-sea mining proposals, demonstrates that even one mining operation could contaminate thousands of cubic kilometres of ocean per year. With multiple projects planned, the potential damage could be irreversible.

Scientists and environmental groups say the findings underscore the urgent need for governments to agree to a moratorium on deep-sea mining. Industry claims that “deeper discharge” of waste plumes (below 2,000 metres) could avoid harm are not backed by evidence. The deep ocean remains largely unstudied, and the report warns that discharges at any depth pose serious risks to marine ecosystems.

Sofía Tsenikli Deep Sea Conservation Coalition:

“This ground-breaking research confirms our worst fears about deep-sea mining: it’s not just the seafloor at risk; the entire ocean food web is threatened and at risk of collapsing if deep-sea mining is permitted to begin. The study shows that mining waste will literally starve marine life by flooding the water column with fake food particles that contain almost no nutrition, threatening species that sustain healthy ocean ecosystems, global fisheries, and climate stability. Deep-sea mining will cause devastating impacts throughout our ocean. No government can ignore this. A moratorium on deep-sea mining is a necessity to protect our shared ocean.”

Image credit: David Clode, Unsplash