This year again, the Vent Ecology WG has mainly been interacting at distance, through the internet as no major vent-biology meeting that would have allowed our gathering has taken place. Activities mainly focused on the establishment of a Sample Transfer Agreement form to facilitate sample use and exchange, as well as the developing interest of mining companies for hydrothermal polymetallic sulfide deposits.
Mining activities and protection of the hydrothermal vent environment
The marked increase in exploration permits for mining companies has raised some concerns in both the scientific community and the general public. A panel discussion was organized last year by the French Academy of Overseas Sciences and IOC-UNESCO on “Exploitable mineral resources (polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich crusts, hydrothermal polymetallic suphides) in the abyssal and bathyal domains: options for the conservation and management of the biodiversity of associated ecosystems”. The meeting was held on November 10th, 2010, at UNESCO in Paris, France. Link to the agenda, background documents and discussion items: http://www.ioc-cd.org/index.php?option=com_oe&task=viewEventRecord&event...
Among these different types of deep-sea mineral resources, hydrothermal deposits will be the first to be exploited. A pilot study of such exploitation is currently underway in Papua New Guinea, where the government granted Nautilus a mining lease in January 2011 (for more details on mineral extraction plans, see the Nautilus Solwara project website: http://www.nautilusminerals.com/s/Projects-Solwara.asp). Studies of the impact of mining activities on biological communities are also currently funded by Nautilus in this area.
Although the legal framework of mineral exploitation and its regulation in EEZs only depends on the country’s own legal system, the legal framework for ocean bottom in international waters is the responsibility of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The UNESCO panel discussion however raised the issue that there is to date, no legal authority dealing with the water column at great depths (i.e. below fishing depths and above the sea-floor). This could be an issue if the mining activity ejects large amounts of particles into the water column.
There were also some concerns of researchers (and not only in Biology) regarding their future work in areas where exploration permits have been granted to contractors for polymetallic sulfides. Adam Cook (ISA) indicated that scientific studies can continue within exploration claim areas as long as it is general marine scientific research rather than commercial exploration for sulfide deposits. Obviously, should there be active mineral exploration there will be safety issues and these may prevent scientific research adjacent to mineral exploration equipment (in the same way that scientific exploration cannot be carried out very close to oil rigs). Conversely, contractors are required to carry out baseline surveys so there may be increased opportunities for marine scientific research.
Biological sample sharing
One of the goals of the WG is to enhance the distribution and use of specimens collected at vents (one of the tenets of the InterRidge “Code of Conduct”). We have posted a model of sample sharing agreement on the website to facilitate these exchanges should such an agreement be necessary (http://www.interridge.org/node/16694). Essentially, this agreement states:
•what the interested person is planning to do with the sample(s) (as a quick description),
•that the person will only do that planned work or ask for permission if he/she would like to do something else,
•that this research is not for the private sector (university and affiliated can have the samples for free),
•that he/she will not give these samples to someone else before that other person signs a similar agreement
The statement will also require that, if the shared sample should be used for a publication, the researcher should acknowledge the person who provided the sample and the grant(s) (as well as funding agencies) that allowed the sample collection.
This form is only a model and can be modified. Although initially planned for biological samples, it could easily be used for other types of samples. There is obviously no possible enforcement, however our community of researchers is small and misbehavior will inevitably become common knowledge.
As listing possible samples to be shared on a website does not seem the best way to facilitate sample sharing, we are exploring the possibility of a forum hosted on the Vent Ecology WG pages where researchers in need of samples could post their requests, and researchers of the WG could re-direct these requests to people they think may possess such samples. More work will take place on this in the upcoming year.
Meetings
Panel discussion organized by the French Academy of Overseas Sciences and IOC-UNESCO on “Exploitable mineral resources (polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich crusts, hydrothermal polymetallic suphides) in the abyssal and bathyal domains: options for the conservation and management of the biodiversity of associated ecosystems”. The meeting was held on November 10th, 2010, at UNESCO in Paris, France. For more details, see above.
The EU-funded Coordination Action for Research Activities on life in Extreme Environments (CAREX) is organizing a conference on Life in Extreme Environments, October 18th-20th 2011 in Dublin, Ireland.
