Could Deep Sea Mining Break the Ocean’s Wildlife Highways?

Deep-sea mining is closer than ever, and it may not be the seafloor we should be most worried about. The real danger could be to the ocean’s most important migratory species, including whales, sea turtles, sharks, seabirds, and marine mammals. Mining doesn’t just disrupt the bottom of the ocean, it creates noise, light, sediment plumes, and industrial disturbances that travel through the entire water column and across vast distances.

This episode of the How to Protect the Ocean podcast digs into a new scientific assessment led by Dr. Andrew Thaler that reveals a hidden risk most people never consider: mining could fracture the ocean highways these animals use to survive.

What You Will Learn

• How deep-sea mining impacts wildlife across the full water column

• Why species like whales and sea turtles are vulnerable even if they never reach the deep sea

• What full-scale mining operations could look like

• Why global policy and regulation still don’t account for migratory species

• Key findings from a recent gap assessment on mining risks

• Why scientists are concerned about the unknowns

Deep Sea Mining Doesn’t Just Affect the Seafloor

Most conversations about mining focus on habitat destruction on the seabed. But as Dr. Thaler explains in the episode, the ocean operates as a connected system. Noise and disturbance don’t stay in one place. The conversation highlights a troubling question: if mining expands, what happens to marine animals that depend on long-distance migration?

From the transcript, one of the most striking moments is when Andrew Lewin asks how mining could impact whales, sea turtles, seabirds, sharks, and rays, even though mining happens far below them:

“Deep sea mining could have long lasting effects on the bottom of the ocean. But did you ever consider what effects or consequences it might have for some species in the ocean? Like whales, sea turtles, seabirds, sharks and rays?”

These species rely on predictable travel routes for feeding and reproduction. Mining could turn those routes into stress zones.

The Noise that Travels Across the Ocean

Even if mining happens thousands of meters deep, industrial activity generates noise and disturbance that can travel extreme distances. Cetaceans, marine mammals, and seabirds depend on sound to navigate, communicate, and find food. Noise pollution could block those signals and disrupt reproduction or feeding.

As the episode points out, this creates risks far beyond the mining sites themselves.

Migratory Species Are the Most Vulnerable

The challenge is that these animals move across vast ranges. A mining operation isn’t a small project. Thaler explains that full-scale industrial mining could involve dozens of large vessels operating like floating cities, traveling in and out of the open ocean.

That scale could block migration routes and create obstacles in places where marine life needs quiet and clear water.

The Biggest Policy Gaps

The episode uncovers one major problem in current global policy: regulations focus on protecting the seabed but don’t account for the animals moving through the water column above it. Messages like this from the episode hit hard:

“It’s not just the deep sea. It’s the entire ocean from top to bottom.”

Without new policy, industry plans could move forward before the science catches up.

Why This Matters For The Ocean

Migratory species connect the ocean. They bring nutrients, maintain ecosystems, and support coastal communities. If deep sea mining fractures these migratory highways, we aren’t just harming individual species. We are threatening the ocean’s ability to function.

This isn’t just about mining technology or minerals. It’s about the future of whales, sea turtles, seabirds, sharks, and so much more.

What You Can Do

• Stay informed and share the science behind deep-sea mining

• Support organizations working to protect migratory species

• Talk about the issue publicly, especially on social platforms

• Use your voice as a voter and consumer to push for strong regulations

• Subscribe to ocean conservation media and research

Listen to the Full Conversation

This episode goes deeper into the science, the gaps in regulation, and what scientists believe needs to happen next. Listen to the interview with Dr. Andrew Thaler and subscribe to the How to Protect the Ocean podcast to stay up to date with future episodes.