Overview

• Peer-reviewed mapping by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa scientists in Current Biology links specific sharks, rays and chimaeras to International Seabed Authority contract zones in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone.
• The analysis finds 30 species could be exposed to discharge plumes, 25 of those could face direct seafloor disturbance, and mining impacts may overlap more than half the depth range of 17 species.
• Nearly two-thirds of assessed species are already threatened by human activity, with the study estimating additional extinction-risk increases for many, including about 23 species at roughly 10% and nine at around 20%.
• Species with specialized life histories such as egg-laying skates and deep-living chimaeras appear especially susceptible due to potential nursery damage and deep-habitat disruption.
• The authors urge regulators and contractors to include these taxa in environmental impact assessments, establish monitoring and set protected or exclusion areas, noting ongoing range research may expand the at-risk list.