Emerging from the abyssal depths into the realm of humans, the rare black seadevil swims toward the light of the world above. The anglerfish’s usual home is in the deep sea, up to 1,500 metres below the water’s surface, where the sun doesn’t reach. The viral footage of her ascent sent the world into a frenzy.
The anglerfish was thrust into fame as she appeared on screens across the globe, quickly inspiring art, becoming an internet sensation and making international news, even in countries with no coasts. She captured the hearts of the world and inspired curiosity about a place so untouched, so rich in life, and so unexplored that it has long drawn global attention from scientists and environmentalists.
That such a creature exists in the deep sea, so far, it would seem, out of reach of human hands, struck wonder and awe in many of us.
But the truth is she isn’t really out of reach of human hands, as one industry looks to turn the deep sea into an industrial mining site. And it could be as soon as 2025.
What is deep sea mining?
Deep sea mining is a new destructive industry that wants to mine the deep seabed for metals and minerals. It’s poised to start in the Clarion-Clipperton zone in the Pacific Ocean, where companies like The Metals Company plan to drop monstrous behemoths of grinding and groaning steel machinery to rip up the untouched ocean floor.
If allowed to start, deep sea mining would damage the oceans beyond repair, possibly driving countless species to extinction. The anglerfish species families would be facing the whirlpool of ruin.
One of the scariest risks when it comes to deep sea mining is that we can’t possibly fully understand the risks. We only know a tiny fraction of what’s in the deep sea, and we’re discovering new things every year, including a new anglerfish in the Clarion-Clipperton zone last year.
The things we do know about the deep sea are awe-inspiring. Kilometres deep in the ocean live magical creatures like the black seadevil anglerfish, strawberry squid, dumbo octopus, fangtooth, and countless others. These creatures have all adapted to their unique deep-sea environment – an environment that would be threatened by deep sea mining.
When could deep sea mining start? (Spoiler: too soon)
Deep sea mining hasn’t started, but that’s not from lack of industry trying. This March, representatives from across the world will meet at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) meeting to discuss the future of deep sea mining in the Pacific.
The second ISA meeting will happen in July, where the assembly will discuss and decide on the future of deep sea mining in the Pacific Ocean. The Australian government is yet to join the 32 other countries and call for a moratorium on deep sea mining. Several Pacific countries have been forging ahead as ocean protection leaders, calling for a moratorium or precautionary pause on the practice, including strong leadership from Tuvalu, Palau, Vanuatu and Samoa.
How can we protect the deep sea?
Protecting the creatures of the deep starts with our governments becoming ocean protectors. Australia must call for a moratorium on deep sea mining – this is the last opportunity to stop deep sea mining before it starts.
We must raise our voices to protect the deep. The anglerfish depend on it.
