Stop Harmful Seabed Mining in the Pacific Ocean

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is currently reviewing two applications submitted by The Metals Company USA for deep-sea mining exploration licenses in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, an area beyond national jurisdiction between Hawaii and Mexico. 

Advancing these applications undermines the international framework established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the authority of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). This review is part of a broader federal effort to fast-track deep-sea mining approvals in both U.S. federal and international waters. On January 21, 2026, the Trump administration finalized a rule to fast-track seabed mining in international waters without critical environmental review, contradicting the ongoing efforts of the ISA. Added to seabed mining initiatives advancing in American Samoa and the Mariana Islands, we are witnessing a rapidly accelerating gold rush to industrialize the Pacific’s deep ocean.

Seabed mineral extraction, or seabed mining as it's more commonly known, involves industrial-scale prospecting for metals and other minerals along the ocean floor. Such activity damages habitats that nurture commercially and recreationally important fish. Seabed mining also creates sediment clouds that can smother and negatively impact the feeding and reproduction of other marine life, including plankton, groundfish, salmon, and forage fish. These sediment clouds, and associated noise, may also negatively impact whales, dolphins, and other marine mammals.

Take Action: Join Surfrider and submit comments to NOAA opposing the Metals Company Applications to conduct harmful seabed mining. 

Deadline to submit comments: February 23, 2026

See Helpful Info and Sample Comment Letter Below

Why the Clarion-Clipperton Zone Matters to Hawaiʻi and the Pacific

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a vast stretch of deep ocean in the central Pacific covering about 4.5 million square kilometers- more than ten times the size of California. The CCZ, roughly 500 miles southeast of Hawaiʻi, is part of the same Pacific ocean system that shapes Hawaiʻi’s waters, fisheries, and climate. Ocean currents and migratory species link this region directly to Hawaiʻi- what happens there directly affects the islands. 

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is part of a vertically connected ocean system, stretching from the deep seabed to the surface, that plays a critical role in storing carbon and supporting Pacific food webs, including the tuna fisheries vital to Hawaiʻi’s economy and food security. In Hawaiian knowledge systems, the deep ocean is not an empty or distant place, but a source of life and connection. Caring for the ocean is understood to extend from the shoreline to the deepest waters. Damage caused by deep-sea mining across a region this large would not stay confined to one place; it would ripple across the Pacific, threatening ocean health and island communities that depend on a healthy, functioning ocean.

Science Shows Deep-Sea Mining Threatens Ocean Food Webs

Scientific research led by the University of Hawaiʻi shows that deep-sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone would cause harm far beyond the seafloor. Mining operations generate large sediment plumes that would be released into the midwater “twilight zone,” where many ocean species feed. These plumes dilute natural, nutrient-rich food particles with low-quality sediment, disrupting the base of the marine food web. Recent  research shows that midwater mining plumes could trigger cascading, bottom-up ecosystem impacts—extending from plankton and small fish to larger fish and marine predators, including species critical to Pacific fisheries. A separate study  found that deep-sea mining could significantly increase extinction risk for deep-sea sharks, rays, and chimaeras—slow-growing, long-lived species that are especially vulnerable to disturbance and population collapse.

The Solution 

It is imperative we protect our fragile, economically important, and culturally valuable oceans from the severe risks of seabed mining by imposing moratoria on mining, unless and until its consequences are understood and an appropriate protective regulatory regime is established both within and beyond US national waters. Please submit your comments to NOAA before the February 23 deadline!

Sample Talking Points for Your Comment Letter

• I strongly oppose NOAA’s proposed revisions to DSHMRA (Docket NOAA-NOS-2025-0108): I don't support this proposal for the following reasons: 
• This proposal is reckless and unnecessary: It prioritizes short-term industry gain over the long-term health of the ocean.
• Combined exploration and recovery permits: Allowing a single application bypasses a critical exploration phase needed to establish environmental baselines and conduct full reviews, bypassing transparency.
• Risks to fragile ecosystems: The deep sea is the Earth’s least explored ecosystem, incredibly fragile, and home to unique and undiscovered species. The Deep sea is remarkably biodiverse and provides vital services like carbon storage and nutrient cycling. Mining scars, such as those on the Blake Plateau, show no recovery even after 50 years.
• Commercial fishing economic impact: Deep Sea Mining has widespread impacts all the way to the ocean surface and could impact important coastal industries and commercial fisheries such as the $5.5B Pacific tuna industry.
• Conflict with international law: The proposal undermines the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and disregards the International Seabed Authority’s ongoing regulatory process. Ignoring these frameworks reduces the United States’ ability to enforce compliance on issues such as illegal fishing and maritime navigation.
• This proposal goes against widespread opposition: 37 countries, 65+ corporations, 37 financial institutions, and over 940 marine scientists have called for a moratorium, citing environmental destruction and economic uncertainty. Nearly all U.S. Pacific states and territories (California, Washington, Oregon, Hawai‘i, American Samoa, and Guam) have restricted or banned deep-sea mining.
• High cost, low return: Technology is untested and unproven. Past failures like Nautilus Minerals in Papua New Guinea left taxpayers with over $100M in losses. U.S. taxpayers should not bear this burden.
• Sustainable alternatives exist: The U.S. should invest in more responsible and innovative mineral pathways, not lead a destructive ‘gold rush’.