RESOURCES and REPORTS
Blue Peril: A visual investigation of Deep Sea Mining in the Pacific
Blue Peril is a collaboration between INTERPRT, Deep Sea Mining Campaign & Ozeanien Dialog. It is supported by MiningWatch Canada. Special thanks to Dr. John Luick from Austides Australia Consulting for hours of oceanographic modelling and analysis and to the many scientists who gave their time in discussions and assisted with providing data and photographic surveys.
Additional Resources and Reports
Deep Sea Mining: What could it do to the ocean? (10 mins)
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Julia Barnes looks at the dangers posed by deep sea mining in this 10-minute short.
Predicting the Impacts
May 2020
An expert review of the scientific literature on the impacts of deep sea mining. Commissioned by the Deep Sea Mining Campaign and MiningWatch Canada.
Shareholder Advisory
May 2021
The Deep Sea Mining Campaign issued a Shareholder Advisory to inform potential investors of risks involved in The Metals Company’s (TMC) 2021 public offering. Advisory endorsed by MiningWatch.
Why the Rush?
July 2019
This report looks at companies that are driving a speculative rush for seabed minerals and the ways in which the UN body charged with regulating them, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), is promoting these companies.
Mining the Deep Sea
October 2019
An in-depth article published on Arena Magazine by Catherine Coumans.
Policy Brief: The Precautionary Principle and Deep-Seabed Mining
May 2025
This Policy Brief from the UN Special Rapporteurs on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and the promotion and on the protection of human rights in the context of climate change, aims to inform ongoing deliberations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) on deep-seabed mining (DSM), to clarify the legal and scientific bases for the urgent application of the precautionary principle and the main measures States must take in accordance with their obligations under international human rights and environmental law.
In the face of the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, avoiding the risks of DSM is both urgent and necessary.
Tonga and Deep Sea Mining: An Evaluation of Legal Frameworks, Obligations, Liability Risks, and Measures for Strengthening the Kingdom's Capacities with regard to Environmental Impact Assessment
June 2023
This report reflects work conducted at the direction of the Civil Society Forum of Tonga on 3 main objectives: (i) Review of legal and technical analyses of the NORI collector test EIA and EIS submissions to identify components applicable to the Tongan context of DSM activities and contracts. (ii) Review of Tonga’s DSM-related legal framework, including Tonga’s obligations and potential liability risks under applicable international environmental instruments and existing agreements or arrangements with mining companies. This review will also encompass all known commitments and statements of the Tongan Government at ISA meetings or other international fora regarding the ocean environment that are relevant to DSM. (iii) Design of legal tools for addressing gaps and strengthening capacity of Tonga’s local institutions to properly evaluate DSM project EIAs.
All That Glitters is Not Gold: Critical Questions and Challenges of Deep Sea Mining for the Kingdom of Tonga
Tonga’s rich, ancestral ocean heritage should be an important factor in decisions about Deep Sea Mining. This White Paper presents research commissioned by the Civil Society Forum of Tonga on the challenges and risks of deep sea mining (DSM) for Tonga, with specific regard to Tonga’s sponsorship of DSM activities in the international waters.
Implications of The Metals Company Pre-Feasibility Study for Next Steps by the Company
February 2026
The Metals Company (TMC), a publicly-traded company on the NASDAQ, has released a Pre-Feasibility Study prepared by AMC Consultants Pty Ltd (2025) for the mining of deep-sea nodules in the Clarion Clipperton Zone in the northeast Pacific Ocean. TMC is seeking an exploitation permit from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), rather than from the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which has not yet developed the regulatory framework for issuing exploitation permits. The objective of this report is to assess the implications of the Pre-Feasibility Study for TMC and any investors.
Critical Questions about the Risks of Radiation Toxicity from Deep Sea Mining
June 2026
Deep sea mining (DSM) risks releasing unregulated radioactivity directly into global ocean commons and marine food chains. There are at least 10 critical knowledge gaps that must be answered before DSM is permitted.
Backgrounder and full report available.
Corporate Capture of the Deep Sea: A call for action to protect the commons against unlawful deep sea mining (Greenpeace)
July 2026
In this briefing Greenpeace International exposes the corporate playbook deployed by the deep sea mining frontrunner, The Metals Company, and its subsidiaries and affiliate companies to: gain access to resources designated as belonging to humankind as a whole and in areas
reserved for developing countries; pressure multilateral negotiations; disregard the international legal framework governing human activities in the ocean by attempting to mine under US legislation; silence developing state
sponsors; and lastly, with the proceedings taken to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), prevent ISA oversight.