Our world is rapidly changing. As we move away from fossil fuels and our use of electronics increases, demand is climbing for a handful of metals key to the manufacture of modern technology. Mining the deep sea may meet these demands but is probably the most contentious issue the community is facing right now. Is there a net benefit for the deep sea; funding research and understanding, addressing climate change, and encouraging developing nations? Or is the deep sea too fragile and too unknown to be responsibly exploited?

We bite off far more than we can chew by taking on this issue in a deep-sea mining special episode. Luckily, we have some guests we can call on to help us understand the issue. Professor Jeffrey Drazen of University of Hawai`i at Manoa explains just what deep-sea mining is and its ecological impacts. We then speak with Michael Lodge, secretary-general of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The ISA, comprised of 167 member states and the European Union, regulates and controls all mineral-related activities in the open ocean – that’s the majority of the planet!

We also have current news and a chat with Don Walsh, who of course it turns out, has first-hand experience with the complexities of mining in the ocean.

You can submit your own ‘tails from the high seas’ about an experience you have had offshore or pose us a question on:

[email protected]

Theme – Hadal Zone Express by Märvel (http://marvel.nu/)

Links

ECO Magazine Deep-Sea Heroes: http://digital.ecomagazine.com/publication/?i=683954&ver=html5&p=22

Scary bigfin squid video: https://youtu.be/L8xXnVkOGsA

Bigfin squid paper: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0241066

Eel swarm: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967063720302107

ISA website: https://www.isa.org.jm/

DeepData: https://www.isa.org.jm/deepdata

UNESCO report: http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1535/

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