Protect Alaska from Ocean Mining
Alaska’s oceans are under threat, and we need your help!
The Trump administration is moving to open vast swaths of the ocean floor off Alaska’s coast for mining. If allowed to continue, these areas would be exposed to mineral mining that can release toxic and radioactive materials into the ocean, disrupt vital habitats, and destroy deep-sea environments.
Alaska boasts some of the healthiest fisheries in the world and a coastal economy that relies on healthy, abundant waters. These waters are also home to precious wildlife, including Steller sea lions, humpback whales, and seabirds.
Any ocean mining would put this delicate environment, and all who depend on it, at risk.
We need your voice to tell the Trump administration NO to reckless and unnecessary ocean mining. Join Oceana and stand up to protect our oceans!
Petition Letter
Subject: Opposition to Ocean Mining Off Alaska (BOEM-2025-0318 RFI Comments)
To the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management:
Please accept this letter as a statement of my firm opposition to the proposed ocean mining initiative off Alaska.
Alaska’s marine environment is home to vibrant ecosystems and unique wildlife. From Steller sea lions to Pacific salmon and humpback whales to seabirds, this habitat is home to a wide variety of marine wildlife that need our protection.
The current proposal includes resource extraction in both the deep-sea and nearshore bays. For the life that grows on and around areas targeted for ocean mining, the resulting destruction will be comprehensive and irreversible.
The deep sea is Earth's least understood ecosystem—with new species discovered every year—and it is also among its most fragile. For example, a deep-sea mining test site on the Blake Plateau off the coast of North Carolina shows no recovery, more than 50 years later. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration found mining changes the structure and topography of these ecosystems from seafloor to surface, which means that coastal industries like fisheries and tourism could also suffer.
The waters of the deep sea are still, clear, and quiet. In addition to directly destroying sea life and releasing toxic and radioactive materials, seabed mining will produce noise and harmful sediment plumes that will destabilize and smother highly sensitive organisms and disrupt habitat for commercially important fish species.
Leaders around the world urge caution: 40 countries already call for a moratorium on deep-sea mining, citing its environmental dangers and shaky economics.
Please defend our oceans from dangerous seafloor mining before it is too late. We know that our oceans thrive when they are well protected, but mining puts our oceans, marine life, and all those who rely on them at risk.
For these reasons, I urge BOEM to abandon any ocean mining leasing plans off the coast of Alaska.