By Bob Kurz
Growing demand for gold, platinum, phosphorous and other valuable minerals found off our coast may someday lead mining companies to bring destructive extractive machinery to California’s nearshore seafloor. The result could be widespread damage to the kelp forests, rocky reefs, coral gardens and other areas that nurture fish and wildlife and sustain the recreational and commercial fisheries vital to our coastal economy.
The California State Lands Commission should proactively address this threat by implementing a precautionary ban on seabed mining for hard minerals in state waters.
As a lifelong sport fisherman, I know how important it is for the state to set catch limits, regulate the type of gear that is used to catch various species, establish fishing seasons and protect the areas that nurture marine life. This robust management system is supported by decades of scientific study of fish populations and sustainable catch rates.
However, California has comparatively few rules or specific standards governing seabed mining. Companies can apply for exploration and mining leases in many areas along our coast. Each application is considered on a case-by-case basis. Yet, there is little science on which to base accurate predictions of the effects mining would have on the sensitive and economically important area that extends from the shoreline three miles out into the ocean.
The science that is available paints a dire picture. Based on a steadily growing body of evidence, scientists are sounding the alarm about the damage seabed mining could inflict. In a recent op-ed in Popular Science, for example, researchers from the University of Hawaii warned of widespread pollution, including the release of heavy metals, as a consequence of dredging and digging up the seafloor.
And a study by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences estimated that some mining operations would discharge 2 million cubic feet of waste sediment each day, some of which would be laced with lead and mercury. The pollutants would likely be widely dispersed to other undersea areas, according to a story in The Atlantic.
That might not be the worst of it. Researchers are also concerned about how little we know about the short-term and long-term effects of seabed mining.
With all of this in mind, California should prohibit new seabed mining operations until we have a better understanding of its environmental consequences. Oregon has taken the lead by prohibiting mining for hard minerals in state waters nearly 30 years ago. California needs to follow the lead of its northern neighbor.
Join me in encouraging the California State Lands Commission to close state waters to seabed mining until we have a complete understanding of the risks and a comprehensive approach for protecting our fisheries, wildlife and communities from the damage that unplanned seabed mining industry could deliver
Bob Kurz serves on the state board of Coastal Conservation Association California and is also a trustee for the International Game Fish Association.
