An executive order that Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga issued yesterday places a moratorium on seabed mining in the waters of American Samoa.
The moratorium applies to the mining, extracting, or removal of minerals.
The order cites that deep sea mining poses significant risks to marine biodiversity, including the potential for habitat destruction, pollution, and the disruption of critical ecological processes, which could have irreversible impacts on marine life and local communities.
It also notes that, deep-sea ecosystems remain among the least-understood places on earth and support vital ocean ecosystem elements such as fish stocks, coral reefs, and ecosystem functions, including water temperature regulation, carbon sequestration, and nutrient cycling.
Additionally there is insufficient scientific information and technological development to understand the full scope of potential impacts of seabed mining, and technologies for extracting minerals from the ocean floor remain untested in terms of environmental safety.
The Governor said the moratorium shall not be construed to prohibit scientific research or collections conducted by, or on behalf of, an educational, scientific, or a research institution or a government agency. Any such research activity shall be subject to local laws, regulations, and permitting requirements.
He added that during this moratorium, American Samoa will advocate for the advancement of marine research, the development of sustainable ocean policies, and the promotion of local and international cooperation in the sustainable management of marine resources.
