By Talaia Mika, Cook Islands News
Ocean scientist and executive director of the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, Professor Adam Soule. Photo: Cook Islands News
Cook Islands is still a long way from being ready to mine its seafloor, says ocean scientist and executive director of the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute, Professor Adam Soule.
Professor Soule made the comment after returning from a 21-day research cruise, "Deep Sea Habitats of the Cook Islands," aboard the United States exploration vessel Nautilus, this week.
The expedition was to help explore previously unsurveyed deep-sea priority areas identified by the management and science community in the Cook Islands.
Professor Soule, a professor at the University of Rhode Island, told Cook Islands News that while the country's seabed is rich with minerals, the focus should remain on gathering data and deepening scientific understanding before any major decisions are made.
"Yeah, that's absolutely true and we saw that firsthand," he agreed that the Cook Islands' seabed is rich with minerals.
"We drove the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) in 5000 metres of water and went for 36 hours and saw only the seafloor covered with nodules. And on top of the nodules, of course, were lots of organisms, sponges, corals, gastropods, sea stars."
Professor Soule said their team was fascinated by the abundance and diversity of marine life found during their deep-sea explorations.
"We were really interested in how much life was down there, how diverse it was. How did that compare between a place that was covered with nodules versus a place that just had sediment or seafloor that was flat versus seafloor that was a big seamount or mountain under the sea," he added.
The data collected during their expedition, he said, is publicly available for everyone, including policymakers and researchers.
"It's data that we, of course, broadcast live but also is publicly available for everyone who's thinking about what to do with stewardship of the sea."
In recent years, the Cook Islands has been at the centre of global attention over its push to explore for and ultimately extract deep-sea minerals. These polymetallic nodules contain valuable metals like nickel, copper and cobalt, and are found within its exclusive economic zone.
The Cook Islands government granted three exploration licences in 2022 - CIC Limited, CIIC Seabed Resources Limited (which is co-owned by the Cook Islands government) and Moana Minerals Limited - allowing them to undertake scientific surveys to assess the viability of mining.
However, the move has sparked heated debate within the community and among environmental groups.
The Seabed Minerals Authority has repeatedly stated that exploration does not mean extraction, while Prime Minister Mark Brown has said the government is taking a "precautionary and science-based approach".
The government's position has been to collect as much data as possible before deciding whether to proceed with commercial mining - a sentiment echoed by many scientists, including Professor Soule.
He said that during his visit to Rarotonga, he noticed the wide range of public opinions on seabed mining from uncertainty to outright support or opposition.
"But the answer that everyone gave that I agree with is we need more knowledge," Professor Soule said. "Even though we were out there for 20 days and collecting lots of observations, it's still a very tiny contribution to the vast Marae Moana out there. So I'm really hopeful that we'll collect more information so that people making decisions have the best information possible to make thoughtful decisions."
When asked how long the exploration phase should take, Professor Soule said there was no simple answer.
"That's a very difficult question to answer. But one way to look at it is that the exploration or the research stage should be continuous, even if the decision to begin extraction or to do some test extraction takes place," he said.
"That's just another opportunity to learn about what the impacts of the extraction would be. It is inherent in science that you never reach a point of complete understanding. You're always learning. And so, we're in an early stage of knowledge building right now and I don't think it will ever stop, even if the decision to do extraction takes place."
Professor Soule said humanity now faces a rare opportunity to make informed decisions before exploiting a natural resource.
"I think it is the first time in human history that we have known of a resource and been able to think about the impacts of using that resource before we extract it," he said.
"You know, whether it's oil and we didn't know about the impacts that would have on our atmosphere or even whale oil and the impacts that would have on denuding whale populations.
"We have a very special opportunity here to try and understand as much as we can about it, the deep sea, before we disturb it."
Professor Soule believes collecting more scientific information will ultimately serve the best interests of everyone.
"And so, I just think collecting as much information and data as possible is going to be in the best interest of everyone," he said. "And I feel really comfortable and confident, as I've met all these Cook Islanders, that they're thinking really hard about these decisions and I think they're going to make good ones."
-This article was first published by Cook Islands News.
