Deep-sea mining threatens sharks, rays, and ghost sharks

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-10-03 01:00

Australia; New Zealand; Pacific; International; TAS

PHOTO: naushad mohamed on Unsplash

Mining the world’s deep seas for metals will likely threaten many species of sharks, rays and chimaeras (ghost sharks), say researchers who compared their habitats with where deep-sea mining is happening or planned. Of the 30 species that overlapped with mining areas, 18 were already at higher risk of extinction. The researchers outline how mining could affect sea life, such as through disturbing the seafloor where some species lay eggs, and creating plumes of sediment that make it hard for fish higher up to breathe, see, or feed. They say we need better risk assessments, monitoring, and regulations for mining projects to avoid worsening current extinction risks.

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Journal/
conference: Current Biology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), University of Tasmania, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, USA

Funder: We would also like to thank Harold Carlson and Meagan Putts for their helpful discussions on the paper and the Deep-Sea Fish Ecology Lab and Deep-Sea Animal Research Center for their support. A.B.J. acknowledges support from the Uehiro Center for the Advancement of Oceanography.

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