Deep-Sea Science Shapes Rules as Mining Stays on Hold

New mapping reveals sparse life but vast unknown diversity, sharpening debate as deep-sea mining remains exploratory worldwide

30 Jan 2026

Commercial deep-sea mining has yet to begin anywhere in the world, despite years of debate and investment interest. No extraction is taking place in the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific, often cited as the industry’s most promising region, and activity remains limited to research, exploration licences and regulatory planning.

What has progressed instead is scientific understanding. Over the past decade, international research programmes have expanded knowledge of life on the abyssal seabed, using tools such as the Ocean Biodiversity Information System to map species across areas once thought to be largely empty.

The findings point to ecosystems that are sparse but complex. While overall biomass is low, scientists have identified a wide range of species, many of them slow-growing, rare or still unknown to science. Unlike forests or coral reefs, these environments support fewer organisms, but often ones found nowhere else.

The Clarion Clipperton Zone has become central to this work. Surveys carried out by universities, museums and mining contractors have recorded hundreds of animal taxa in sampled areas. Many have not yet been formally described. Researchers say this reflects the lack of earlier data rather than sudden ecological change.

For companies holding exploration contracts, including The Metals Company, the results provide context rather than momentum. No mining has been authorised. Applications submitted under US domestic law for potential future permits remain under review and do not allow commercial extraction. Environmental data gathered over many years is now being assessed alongside newer biodiversity mapping.

Regulators face greater uncertainty. The International Seabed Authority, which oversees mining in international waters, is still drafting rules for the sector. Key questions remain over how deep-sea ecosystems recover from disturbance, how species are connected across regions, and how cumulative impacts should be measured.

Recent regulatory frameworks have favoured a precautionary and adaptive approach, allowing decisions to evolve as evidence improves rather than setting fixed assumptions.

For investors and manufacturers focused on battery supply chains, the implications are measured. Deep-sea mining remains a policy debate rather than an operating industry. Scientific advances are shaping how decisions may eventually be taken, but they are not accelerating them. For now, the industry’s future depends more on data than on deployment.