Impacts
Dive deeper:
This report commissioned by Taranaki Regional council highlights the rich and previously unrecognised ecological complexity of Pātea Bank's seafloor - the area where TTR plan to mine
Direct seabed destruction
Seabed mining would involve huge machines suction dredging up the ocean floor. This is like underwater open-cast mining, removing the entire top surface of the seabed to depths of up to 20 metres.
Our seabed is home to all sorts of life including mussels, worms and other bi-valves, plus a range of crustaceans, which in turn support an extremely healthy fishery [see food web below].
But if seabed mining goes ahead, every living thing in the sand would be killed in the process, turning both the mined areas plus a significant area around the mining sites into a dead-zone.
Once mining finishes in an area, it could take decades for a balanced marine ecosystem to return.
Seabed mining 101 : tiles to download or share on socials
Sediment plumes
After seabed mining companies process material on their ships, they plan to dump the waste straight back into the ocean. This would create massive clouds of sediment that spread far beyond the mining area.
These plumes:
-
Smother tiny organisms like plankton and krill that whales depend on
-
Reduce visibility for marine life trying to hunt
-
Clog the gills of filter-feeding species
-
Cover the seafloor, smothering bottom-dwelling ('benthic') species
The impacts ripple through the entire food web - from the smallest organisms to the largest whales. Even after mining stops, these sediment plumes would continue to affect marine life for years
Noise pollution
Imagine huge machines grinding away 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Underwater, sound travels much further than in air and the soundscape of the ocean is important for many marine species.
Experts believe this constant industrial noise would:
-
Force whales and dolphins away from their feeding grounds
-
Disrupt their ability to communicate and navigate
-
Affect breeding and migration patterns
For blue whales, the noise emitted by seabed mining would be like “living with a vacuum cleaner for 35 years.” Dr Leigh Torres evidence at EPA hearing March 2024
Within our oceans, all creatures are interconnected in a complex web of life. Scientists call this connection of lives and 'who eats who' a food web – from the tiniest phytoplankton to our giant pygmy blue whales, everything is connected in our ocean.
Seabed mining could disrupt this delicate balance. The damage wouldn't just affect individual species - it could throw entire food webs into chaos.
Some of the many species that could be impacted include:
-
Māui dolphins - only about 50 remain in the world
-
Pygmy blue whales use these waters as a feeding ground
-
Kororā (little blue penguins) need healthy fish populations to survive
-
Fish and shellfish that local communities depend on
Find out more:
Disrupting nature's balance
Healthy foodchain diagram. Click to expand
The extent to which the local ecology is affected depends on how large an area is mined, the intensity of the dredging, the sediment type and how much the local area is exposed to natural disturbance from currents and wave action.
Community impacts
We are connected to our ocean in so many ways - it's part of who we are. So seabed mining doesn't just threaten marine life, it threatens our way of life here in Aotearoa.
The potential impacts of seabed mining are far-reaching including reduced kaimoana and depleted fisheries and changes to surf breaks caused by sand movement.
If these proposals go ahead, our future generations could inherit damaged, depleted waters - they deserve a healthy, thriving moana.
Our shared responsibility is to protect, not exploit our ocean. It is not a resource to be stripped, but a living system we are bound to nurture and defend.
Stand with us against seabed mining