Fiji Calls for Precautionary Pause on Commercial Deep-Sea Mining Amid Scientific Uncertainty
Fiji has asked for a ten-year precautionary pause on commercial deep-sea mining, insisting that baseline science and governance must improve before extraction proceeds, while still permitting exploration licences.
Fiji’s Ministry of Minerals, represented by Unaisi Rawaikela, announced a ten-year precautionary pause on commercial deep-sea mining, emphasizing that comprehensive baseline science, monitoring and governance are required before any extraction can begin. The pause does not forbid seabed exploration, and licences have been issued to Nautilus Minerals, Blue Water Minerals and the Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, which the government says will help fill data gaps.
Traditional communities, exemplified by fisher Lavenia Naivalurua, view the ocean as sacred and demand that qoliqoli owners be included in decision-making. A recent International Seabed Authority workshop in Suva faced criticism from Pacific civil-society groups for excluding grassroots voices, highlighting fears of “bluewashing.” Across the Pacific, nations such as Palau, Samoa and members of the Melanesian Spearhead Group have joined calls for a moratorium, while others like Nauru and the Cook Islands pursue exploration.
Scientific studies underline the fragile, slow-recovering deep-sea ecosystems and the uncertainty surrounding long-term impacts of mining. Fiji’s stance reflects a broader regional tension between potential economic benefits and the need to protect poorly understood marine environments.
