A new tracker designed to monitor and scrutinize the activities of vessels involved in deep seabed mineral exploration has been announced.
The new device is the work of the Global Fishing Watch (GFW) and the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The new Deep-Sea Mining Watch portal claims to allow users to monitor vessel activity both in real time and retrospectively. The portal also allows users to monitor data by vessel speed, region and timeframe.
Commenting on the new technology, Dr. Douglas McCauley, director of the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory, stated:
“The deep ocean has long been a black box for human activity. Deep-Sea Mining Watch provides the first global window into one of the planet’s last industrial frontiers. By adapting the same Global Fishing Watch technology that transformed transparency in global fisheries, anyone from scientists to policy-makers to citizens can see where vessels linked to deep-sea mineral activity are operating, helping to bring accountability to a nascent industry.”
While Dr Diva Amon Benioff, lab science advisor, added:
“The global race for minerals has set off a modern-day gold rush into the depths of our ocean. Mineral-rich regions of the ocean floor, such as abyssal plains, hydrothermal vents and seamounts, contain cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese, among other minerals. However, these ecosystems are also among the most fragile and least understood on Earth. Mining will result in biodiversity and habitat loss, and could disrupt important functions such as deep-sea carbon storage, climate regulation, and fisheries.”
GFW Chief Innovation Officer Paul Woods added:
“By applying Global Fishing Watch’s unique technology to this new sector, Deep-Sea Mining Watch can now support informed decision-making and promote accountability in this rapidly developing sector … to revolutionize ocean governance, making transparency and accountability the new normal.
The ocean seabed beyond national jurisdictions belongs to all humanity under international law, and transparency is how we ensure that this vast resource is managed for the common good.”