New Delhi, Oct. 4 -- The habitats of thirty species of sharks, rays, and chimaeras-also known as ghost sharks-overlap with proposed deep-sea mining sites, posing new threats to their survival, according to a research published in Current Biology.
Led by oceanographers at the University of Hawai at Manoa, the study reveals that nearly two-thirds of these species are already at risk of extinction due to human activities. Deep-sea mining, which disrupts the seafloor and releases sediment plumes into the water, could further heighten their vulnerability.
"Deep-sea mining represents a new threat to these animals, which are crucial to ocean ecosystems and human culture," said Aaron Judah, lead author and oceanography graduate student at UH Mano...