Number of sea-floor animals down by nearly 40% in Pacific deep-sea mining zone: Study

The number of sea-floor animals fell by 37 per cent in a deep-sea mining exploration zone, according to a study published on Dec 5 probing the emerging industry’s impact on biodiversity.

The five-year research is believed to be the most extensive yet on the possible consequences of modern commercial deep-sea mining machines on oceans already threatened by pollution and overfishing.