Our Ocean, Our Voice |
||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON |||
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently opened a public comment period on a Request for Information and Interest that could pave the way for deep sea mining off the Alaska Continental Shelf, including ecologically precious areas like the Gulf of Alaska seamount chain, and just across the border from the Haida Gwaii SG̲áan – K̲ínghlas – Bowie protected area. This is not just another bureaucratic notice: it’s an early step toward leasing vast swaths of seabed for mineral extraction that could profoundly affect ocean health, commercial and subsistence fisheries, and Indigenous cultural landscapes.
BOEM’s process is just beginning; the agency says it has not yet decided to hold a lease sale, and this comment period (closing March 2, 2026) is one of the few near-term opportunities for public voices to shape the outcome. But make no mistake: once the process advances, later opportunities to weigh in will be harder to influence. That’s why we must act now.Why should our community care?
- Seafloor ecosystems are fragile. Deep sea mining can uproot complex habitats, smother coral and sponge communities with sediment plumes, and disrupt food webs that sustain whales, fish, and fisheries.
- Indigenous rights and culture are at risk. Nearby nations like the Council of the Haida Nation have longstanding moratoria on seabed mining and underscore how these lands and waters hold irreplaceable cultural and ecological value.
- Public input matters. At similar federal seabed mining notices, for example in the Marianas region, the overwhelming majority of early commenters opposed allowing extraction, clearly signaling that community voices can shape the narrative.
- Over 940 marine science and policy experts from more than 70 countries are calling for a pause or moratorium on deep-sea mining, citing risks of irreversible biodiversity loss, destruction of fragile ecosystems, and widespread, long-lasting sediment plumes.
This moment asks a simple but urgent question: Do we want the ocean floor handed over to commercial mining interests? Do we want to exploit the oceans even more than they already are? Do we want to risk exterminating species we don’t even know about yet?
If your answer is no, or even if you simply want more science and transparency before moving forward, now is the time to speak up. Submitting a comment takes minutes at https://www.regulations.gov/
Our voices have power. Let’s use them before the window closes. The comment period closes at 8:59pm PT March 2 (Monday).
The ocean needs us, and so do future generations.
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