Mmastodon EnvironmentOceans first seen 12 h ago, last 1 h ago, peak #10

Bottom trawling and deep-sea mining compared as twin threats

Original: What makes bottom trawling and proposed deep-sea mining twin horrors is that same fundamental mechanism: taking ecosyste

Commenters are linking bottom trawling and proposed deep-sea mining as sharing the same core problem: both disturb ecosystems that operate on geological timescales, where corals grow only millimeters a year and sediment settles over centuries, meaning damage may never recover within human lifetimes. The comparison is drawing attention to the pace of industrial seabed extraction at a time when governments weigh whether to approve commercial deep-sea mining.

Why now: Deep-sea mining is under active regulatory debate, and comparisons with the known damage from bottom trawling are being used to argue against it.

deep-sea miningbottom trawlingocean ecosystems

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Evidence

• What makes bottom trawling and proposed deep-sea mining twin horrors is that same fundamental mechanism: taking ecosystems that operate on geological timescales—where corals grow millimeters a year and ocean currents take centuries to settle sediment—and subjecting them to… · appassionato · 9

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