California bill prevents mining in state waters

One thing we know about the deep sea is that we don’t know nearly enough about it. That’s why we sponsored a California bill to ban destructive mining of mineral deposits on the seafloor. The Seabed Mining Prevention Act, authored by Assemblymember Luz Rivas, prohibits seabed mining for hard minerals in state waters, from shore to three nautical miles out.

Assemblymember Rivas credits the Aquarium with leading on this issue. We helped write the bill, provided science-based testimony in support, and rallied a coalition of nonprofits and businesses behind it. The state legislature passed the bill unanimously, and Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law last September. With this legislation, California joins Oregon and Washington, protecting the entire West Coast from the potentially devastating impacts of seabed mining.

This protection is important because the deep sea sequesters carbon, supports food webs that feed billions of people, and nurtures a reservoir of life that could contribute to medical breakthroughs. All that could be lost if we rush to exploit mineral resources without understanding the consequences.

Around the world, there is growing pressure to mine the ocean floor for minerals. But mining risks the destruction of sensitive seafloor habitats, and sediment plumes pumped from mining vessels can harm animals in the water column. These risks come at a time when marine life is already under threat from climate change and numerous other stressors, including pollution and overfishing.