Mariana Trench seabed mining proposal sparks caution in Pacific

The United States is advancing a proposal that could open approximately 69 million acres of seabed around the Mariana Trench to mineral development. The U.S. Marine Minerals Administration has issued a proposed leasing notice, triggering a 60-day review period.

David Apatang, Governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is urging extreme caution regarding the plan. Apatang is calling for rigorous, independent, and peer-reviewed environmental baseline studies, as well as explicit protections for commercial and subsistence fisheries. He emphasized that local leaders and traditional officials must have a role in reviewing survey plans and monitoring data to ensure transparency and the protection of marine resources.

Scholars and Indigenous advocates are also highlighting the issue through the lens of climate justice. Discussions led by experts like Dr. Tiara R. Na’puti focus on how Indigenous Pacific Islanders are mediating responses to the commercialization of their waters. These advocates seek to protect oceanic ancestors and ecosystems from the potential impacts of deep-sea extraction through legal and community-based efforts.