Over 80 people gathered Sunday at Ala Moana Beach Park for a paddle-out ceremony opposing deep-sea mining, joining a global day of action held across 25 countries and six continents.
The event, organized by a coalition of local scientists and ocean advocates, called attention to mounting concerns over federal efforts to fast-track seabed mineral extraction in the Pacific.
Hanna Lilley, Hawaii regional manager for the Surfrider Foundation, said, “The goal of this global activation is twofold: build collective awareness and care for the deep sea and let decision makers world-wide know that we won’t stand for its exploitation.”
She described the deep sea as “the oldest and largest ecosystem on earth and one of the last unexplored regions of our world,” now at risk from “a frantic gold rush underway across nations and corporate titans.”
In 2024, Hawaii passed the Seabed Mining Prevention Act, which prohibits seabed mineral extraction within state waters.
But advocates warn that the law does not stop the federal government from permitting mining in nearby international waters — such as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone between Hawaii and Mexico. They said U.S. agencies also are reportedly considering partnerships with companies like The Metals Company under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act.
Carissa Cabrera, founder of the ocean advocacy group Futureswell, noted that the law also does not prevent Hawaii’s ports and infrastructure from being used to support such operations.
“It is imperative that our ports and resources in Hawaii are not used to facilitate this industry,” she said.
Cabrera said the paddle-out coincided with the International Seabed Authority’s meeting in Jamaica, where Hawaii is being represented by local advocates like Uncle Solomon “Sol” Pili Kaho‘ohalahala and Ekolu Lindsey. She said that she believes that the event also comes at a time “where Trump is directly threatening our Pacific neighbors.”
President Donald Trump’s 2025 agenda calls for the “immediate development” of U.S. seabed mineral resources to reduce reliance on China and secure rare earth elements. Trump’s Executive Order No. 14285, issued April 24, provides direction for supporting allies and partners in developing seabed minerals in their exclusive economic zones (EEZ).
Opinions differ among Pacific Island countries with some governments pushing to halt seabed mining and others exploring if they could responsibly extract deep-sea minerals. A 2016 assessment, estimated that recoverable seabed minerals could yield at least $47 million for the Cook Islands’ EEZ and at least $44 million for Papua New Guinea’s EEZ.
Cabrera noted that “37 countries … have called for a precautionary pause, 10 year moratorium or outright ban” on deep-sea mining, while the U.S. “is falling behind the global norms.”
Dr. Brittany Kamai, founder of the Mana Moana Institute and a co-organizer of the event, said the paddle-out was chosen as a meaningful way to honor the deep sea and affirm Pacific Islanders’ ancestral connection to the ocean.
“As Pacific Islanders, we are the Indigenous Peoples of the Sea,” Kamai said. “We wouldn’t be who we are today without those connections.”
Kamai explained that “paddling out for the deep sea is one of the most beautiful ways to show how much we care.”
She said the event’s strong turnout demonstrated growing public awareness and a deepening connection between the community and the deep sea.
Aaron Judah, a University of Hawaii researcher, said deep-sea mining poses grave ecological risks — starting with the removal of polymetallic nodules from the seabed, which serve as habitat for fragile ecosystems.
“Communities surveyed during test mining 44 years ago still have not adequately recovered,” Judah said. “As nodules take millions of years to form, this biodiversity will not recover after removal.”
Judah also pointed to newer research showing overlap between proposed mining zones and Pacific fisheries.
“Tuna are deep divers and feed on a variety of midwater species which may be in direct contact with the discharge plume, which outputs harmful metals,” he said.
Advocates like Lilley are urging the public to take action by submitting public comments and supporting federal legislation.
“We are calling on congressional members to support legislation such as the American Seabed Protection Act and International Seabed Protection Act that will require studies on environmental impacts and help ensure a suitable regulatory framework for proposed seabed mining projects which currently does not exist,”she said.
Source: The Garden Island
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