The seabed is not for mining

The Metals Company will apply to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for a permit to mine the deep seabed on June 27, 2025. This application will be the first submitted for deep seabed mining (DSM) in international waters. There are no approved regulations.

Canada must refuse mining applications made through the ISA while there are no approved mining regulations; Canada must insist on regulatory provisions that respect Indigenous rights to grant or withhold consent; Canada must legislate a ban on DSM in Canadian territorial waters and actively support global calls for a moratorium on DSM in international waters.

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year before mining could become a reality

exploration licences already granted worldwide

What is deep sea mining?

Deep sea hydrothermal vents, seamount crusts, and polymetallic nodules are biodiverse habitats that will be destroyed if mined, leading to widespread loss of unique deep sea species.

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Canada’s Role

Canadian mining companies are racing to mine the deep seabed. And the Canadian government is letting it happen.

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Global efforts towards a moratorium

From Pacific Islanders, to scientists, to governments, to civil society organizations in Canada and around the world, the call for a moratorium or ban is growing.

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Resources and Reports

Want to go deeper? Explore more in-depth reports and resources on the industry interests and harms associated with deep seabed mining.

"Deep sea mining will be devastating for the people of our region whose livelihoods, food security, ways of life, and very identity are intimately connected to the ocean.”

– Dr. Claire Slatter, Pacific Blue Line Collective & DAWN

"We have … to create the legal framework to stop the high seas mining…and not to allow new activities that can endanger these ecosystems.”

– Emmanuel Macron, President of France

"This area contains some of the least understood eco-systems on the planet...Deep sea mining could cause irreversible changes to this environment and have a significant impact on its biodiversity."

– Hon Nanaia Mahuta, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aotearoa New Zeland

"We must act and make bold decisions so that we protect our planet. We say that the earth has two lungs -- one is blue and one is green. What are we doing to protect them?"

– Jonathan Mesulum, Coordinator for the Alliance of Solwara Warriors in Papua New Guinea

“The one thing that the science is telling us, is that the impacts of mining the deep sea would be extensive, severe, and last for generations."

– Natalie Lowrey, Deep Sea Mining Campaign