Check out the top stories from the deep, taken from coverage between 31 October – November 7, 2022
New Zealand Calls For A Moratorium On Destructive Deep-sea Mining In International Waters
Source: Scoop
Just days before the International Seabed Authority meets in Jamaica, seeking to continue the rush to mine the deep, New Zealand joins the growing wave of concern, declaring its support for a moratorium on the damaging industry.
The Case Against Deep-Sea Mining
Source: Time
Seldom do we have an opportunity to stop an environmental crisis before it begins. This is one of those opportunities. The mining industry is on the brink of excavating the deep ocean, creating a new environmental disaster with irreversible consequences for our ocean and climate. We urgently need a deep-sea mining moratorium to thoughtfully assess the full impact before a new crisis is created.
Greenpeace Urges Governments to Stop Deep Sea Mining at Upcoming Negotiations
Source: Greenpeace
The movement against deep sea mining is growing with the New Zealand government’s decision to back a global moratorium on deep-sea mining. The Greenpeace network is calling on governments entering the latest round of negotiations on deep sea mining rules to follow New Zealand’s lead and boldly and decisively call on the regulatory body, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), to put the brakes on deep sea mining before it starts destroying one of the world’s most important and fragile ecosystems. Negotiations will be held from October 31 to November 11 at the ISA headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica.
New Zealand convicts company of illegal trawling in high seas restricted area
Source: Mongabay
In late August, a court in Aotearoa New Zealand convicted a subsidiary of one of the country’s major seafood companies of illegal trawling in a closed area in the Tasman Sea between New Zealand and Australia. The judge fined the company NZ$59,000 (about $33,000) and the skipper NZ$12,000 (about $7,000), and seized the vessel. It’s the fourth case in the past five years where courts convicted New Zealand-flagged vessels of illegal trawling. The recent conviction comes amid an ongoing debate about trawling in New Zealand, with campaigners calling for a ban on bottom trawling on submarine mountains, and the industry disputing their arguments and resisting aspects of the proposed change.
Scientists astonished by rare octopus and ‘zombie’ sea sponge in stunning footage
The Mirror
The deepwater wonders were filmed by NOAA Ocean Exploration, which released images of the spooky-looking ocean critters ahead of this year’s Halloween celebrations