Deep-Sea Mining Threatens Vital Marine Food Web, Undermining U.S. Fisheries and National Security

As Washington pushes forward with deep-sea mining initiatives to secure critical minerals for technology and defense, a disturbing scientific warning demands our attention: this activity may irreparably disrupt the foundational marine food web on which countless fish species—and by extension, American fisheries—depend. Drilling for polymetallic nodules hundreds of meters below the ocean surface is not just an environmental concern confined to distant waters; it carries direct risks to national sovereignty and economic stability. These nodules contain copper, iron, zinc, and other minerals crucial for electric vehicles, military equipment, and green technologies—resources the Biden administration and prior Trump directives have prioritized...