Boschen, and 3 co-authors, reported in 2013 that seafloor massive sulfides (SMS) deposits form in a suite of hydrothermal settings across a range of depths. Many deposits are of a tonnage and mineral grade comparable to land deposits and are attractive tomining companies. Economically viable deposits can be either active or inactive, with different biologicalcommunities present at each. These benthic communities may include specially adapted and endemicfauna that could be severely impacted by mining activity. Although there is currently no active SMSmining, recent research from Industry and scientific investigations is able to inform decisions on themanagement of SMS deposits, including appropriate mitigation strategies to minimise the impact of mining activities.
Mitigation strategies will likely focus on facilitating recolonisation of areas impacted bymining, spatial management with open and closed areas and reducing the effects of sediment plumesfrom mining activity. Regulation of mining activity at SMS deposits can be complex, falling under na-tional and international legislation alongside codes of practice issued by industryand other stakeholders.Despite decades of research effort, there are still many unknowns about the ecology of SMS deposits, inparticular for inactive SMS sites and the genetic and demographic connectivity of populations amongdeposits. With considerable industry interest in the exploitation of SMS deposits in the Western SouthPacific Ocean, there is an urgent need to assess the potential impact of SMS mining, particularly on the benthic fauna, so that appropriate management strategies can be designed, implemented, and monitored.
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