Surfrider Foundation Australia is known for large paddle outs as part of national days of action, including this 1000+ paddle out in Torquay in 2024 to stop a large seismic blasting proposal off the coast of Victoria.
Surfrider Foundation Australia leads national day of action on 20 July in solidarity with global calls to stop deep-sea mining, amid scientific warnings of significant environmental risks
Concerned surfers and coastal communities across Australia are joining the international community calling for a ban on deep sea mining in the High Seas – citing environmental concerns and impacts threatening the health of the world’s already vulnerable deep seas.
On Sunday, 20 July, surfers, swimmers and ocean lovers will gather at beaches across Australia and the world as part of a global Day of Action to Stop Deep Sea Mining, with the Australian activation led by Surfrider Foundation Australia and coastal community groups. These events are timed to coincide with the International Seabed Authority (ISA) negotiations in Kingston, Jamaica (7–25 July), where governments will decide whether or not to open the global commons of the deep sea to industrial deep sea mining for the first time in history.
This coordinated, peaceful action will include paddle-outs at iconic breaks and coastlines around the country, including the flagship event at Byron Bay’s Clarkes Beach at 12 pm, as the global surf and ocean community rises up with a unified message: “Stop deep sea mining before it starts”.
Seabed mineral extraction, or deep sea mining as it’s more commonly known, involves industrial-scale strip mining for metals and other minerals across vast tracts of the ocean floor, at depths of up to 6000 meters. Scientists warn that deep sea mining would destroy poorly understood seafloor habitats hosting a wondrous array of life forms most of which have not been discovered or named. Risking ecosystems that contribute to the functioning of the Ocean at large, supporting important commercial and recreational fisheries. Seabed mining would create toxic sediment clouds in the water column negatively impacting the feeding and reproduction of marine life. Constant noise pollution from mining operations would impact whales and other marine mammals’ ability to communicate.
The primary focus for deep-sea mining is a vast area of the deep Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico, known as the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ). The CCZ is in international waters and mining companies are targeting polymetallic nodules, fist-sized rocks containing cobalt, copper, manganese and nickel scattered along the seafloor at 4,000 – 6,000 meters. No mining has begun yet, and a growing block of 37 countries are calling for a moratorium. However, the world’s governments are under extreme pressure to greenlight the industry at the ISA meetings this month.
Deep-sea ecosystems are among the most delicate and poorly understood on the planet. Strange and wonderful creatures have evolved over millennia and an estimated 90% of species are not yet known or named by science.
Surfrider Foundation Australia’s National Campaigns Director Drew McPherson shares;
“As surfers, we spend the majority of our time on the coast, surfing waves on sandbanks, points or reefs where the land meets the sea. But the deep sea is a critical part of a healthy ocean and is where swells (waves) are created and pass through. The science tells us that biodiversity loss would be unavoidable and that extinctions would be inevitable – when the ocean is already so vulnerable to human exploration, we simply can’t afford to add to its exploitation by destructive deep-sea mining.
The deep sea is considered ‘a commons’ or the common heritage of humankind, which means we all have a stake and a say in its future. The interconnected health of our ocean is why Surfrider Foundation Australia is stepping up to raise awareness of this destructive practice, and the need to stand up and defend the deep.
Get down to your favourite beach with a bunch of your friends on July 20th, paddle out and take a deep moment for the deep sea”
Renowned professional surfer Dave Rastavich added:
“As a lifelong surfer, I view the short sighted and completely destructive idea of sea bed mining as a direct threat to the planet’s oceans, our coastal communities throughout the world, and to all ecosystems that are entwined with the ocean. Short term monetary gain for the extractive corporate few will give way to the long term destruction and ecosystem collapse. Surfers throughout the world inhabit the closest waters and lands to where mining companies want to destroy the ocean floor. We are so often the people who become ill when coastal waters are contaminated, and because of that we have a global community that has proven time and time again that we will stand in the way of a greedy few who do not understand the ocean and the power of the deep. Like waves that constantly march to shore, us coastal people will rise up again and again until the stupidity of sea bed mining dissolves.”
The risks and uncertainties associated with industrial-scale mining of the world’s oceans demand that we take precautionary action to halt this emerging industry before it begins. We call on the Australian Government to join the growing global coalition supporting a moratorium on deep-sea mining. This opposition includes 37 countries, 950 marine science and policy experts, businesses and financial institutions, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), state lawmakers, indigenous groups, and the UN Human Rights commissioner.
“Australia has been squarely perched on the fence when it comes to its position at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which is made up of the 170 of the world’s governments. ISA members are required by international law to ensure the protection of the marine environment from any mining activities. Mining is so inherently destructive that it simply should not and cannot go ahead. Australia needs to step up and join many of its key international allies and support a moratorium.” says long time ocean advocate, Phil McCabe of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, who is attending the ISA meetings in Kingston.
For 34 years, Surfrider Foundation Australia has fought to stop destructive projects along Australia’s coastlines, including the Fight for Bight, PEP11 and recently, the largest seismic blasting proposal in history. Surfrider will continue to focus its campaigning efforts on protecting Australia’s coastlines from the destructive impacts of industrial exploitation.
Enjoy reading Eco Voice? Please help us by purchasing a GIFT Voucher or send one to a friend and encourage people to purchase trees or seeds via The Native Shop – www.nativeshop.com.au
Plants, seeds & more delivered to your door!
www.nativeshop.com.au
Advertisement
