By Elizabeth Claire Alberts WASHINGTON, 11 JUNE 2026 (MONGABAY) — The deep-sea mining industry could launch in the near future in U.S federal waters. Yet legal experts and former government officials warn that the regulations that would govern this industry are outdated and lack important oversight provisions. In April 2025, the Trump administration signaled its […]
Tag: marine biodiversity
Posted inBillboard
World Oceans Day Highlights Pacific’s Deep Connection to the Ocean
By: Ngeldei Tulop From Palau to Polynesia, Pacific Island nations marked World Oceans Day on Monday by emphasizing the importance of protecting marine resources as climate change and other environmental pressures continue to affect ocean ecosystems. For Pacific Island nations, the ocean serves as more than a source of food and economic activity. It is […]
Posted inOpinion
Why the BBNJ Agreement Matters to Every Palauan
For small island but big ocean states (BOS) like Palau, where the ocean is not just a resource but a way of life, decisions made in United Nations conference rooms in New York carry real consequences for our people, our livelihoods, and our future. Ratifying the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement is not just […]
Posted inBillboard
Professional Development Workshop Brings Deep-Sea Science to Palau’s Middle and High School Classrooms
From March 31 to April 1, the Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC), in collaboration with educators from NOAA Ocean Exploration and Palau’s Ministry of Education, successfully conducted a two-day professional development workshop for 27 school teachers across Palau. Although the focus was on middle and high school teachers, the workshop attracted a much wider […]
Posted inIn Focus
Deep-sea wildernesses are more important than the promise of seafloor mining
Analysis by Andrew D. Thaler SUVA, 15 APRIL 2026 (MONGABAY)—When I set sail on the MV NorSky in the summer of 2008 to probe the depths of Manus Basin off the coast of Papua New Guinea, I believed in the promise of deep-sea mining. As an early-career deep-sea ecologist, I was swayed by arguments in […]
Posted inIn Focus
Ocean Experts: Protection — Nearshore and Offshore — Remains Top Priority as High Seas Treaty Comes into Force
WASHINGTON, 22 JANUARY 2026 (PRISTINE SEAS) — On 17 January, the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement — known as the High Seas Treaty — came into force. The agreement provides a legal framework for nations to create and manage marine protected areas on the high […]