NOT everyone is thrilled by a plan to mine the ocean floor for the first time. It follows the discovery of significant mineral deposits off the coast of Papua New Guinea.

Nautilus Minerals, a mining company in Vancouver, Canada, has been scouring the ocean floor for dormant hydrothermal vents, which are known to contain metal sulphides - rich sources of gold and copper. For mining to be viable, such deposits must be at least 15 metres thick.

Last week, the company reported that sea-floor deposits near Papua New Guinea extend to 19 metres. Nautilus is now working on environmental studies to allow it to apply for a mining lease from the Papua New Guinea government.

Craig Cary, a marine biologist at the University of Delaware in Newark, says the prospect is unthinkable because of the potential effects on marine life. "If I was in charge of reviewing permit requests there would be some serious questions to answer. Metal sulphides are nasty substances - how are they going to deal with that?" he says.
(New Scientist, 06/08/2006)
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9266-the-ocean-floor--can-they-dig-it.html