What We Don't Know About Deep-Sea Mining

About this episode

This episode explores the unknown impacts of deep-sea mining on migratory marine species with Dr. Andrew Thaler.

What happens when an entire industry rushes forward before science can catch up? In this episode of Ocean Science Radio, we sit down with Dr. Andrew Thaler, deep-sea ecologist and CEO of Blackbeard Biologic, to explore his groundbreaking report for the Convention on Migratory Species that reveals exactly how much we don't know about deep-sea mining's impacts on whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, and other highly migratory species. While most deep-sea mining research has focused on the immediate destruction of seafloor ecosystems, Andrew's report exposes a more troubling reality: we have massive knowledge gaps about how mining operations—with their noise, sediment plumes, and habitat disruption—might affect species that travel thousands of miles across interconnected ocean basins. From sea turtles navigating by magnetic fields to whales relying on acoustic communication, these far-reaching impacts remain largely unstudied even as the industry accelerates toward commercial production. The conversation takes a timely turn as we discuss the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's controversial Request for Information for mining in U.S. waters off the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana…

People in this episode

Host: Ocean Science Radio

Guest: Dr. Andrew Thaler

Topics covered

• deep-sea mining
• marine ecology
• impact on migratory species
• knowledge gaps in science
• environmental policy
• ocean conservation

Keywords

• deep-sea mining
• whales
• dolphins
• sharks
• turtles
• sediment plumes
• habitat disruption
• acoustic communication
• marine ecosystems

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Blackbeard Biologic, Convention on Migratory Species, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

Places: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Mariana Trench

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