Human Activities and Threats

Deep-Sea Mining
Land-based mining has existed—often wreaking havoc on the environment—for over 40,000 years. In recent times, deep-sea mining has been proposed as a method of obtaining rare earth minerals—an extremely worrisome prospect. A significant amount of research has taken place regarding the possible effects that this form of mining could have on deep sea ecosystems. Although there are many reasons to oppose deep-sea mining, AWI’s concerns are focused primarily on the impacts such proposed activities could have on marine wildlife such as cetaceans. Commercial deep-sea mining has not started, but exploration of potential mining sites has begun in both national and international waters. It is critical that governments prevent commercial deep-sea mining from moving forward while they still can.

Marine Pollution
Where once people thought waste could be dumped into and absorbed by the seas with little lasting effect (“dilution is the solution to pollution” was one slogan), we now know that is not the case. Marine dead zones (where agrichemicals spawn algal blooms that choke off most marine life) and garbage patches (massive concentrations of plastic trash) pose major health and welfare threats to marine wildlife.

Common physical pollutants that reach the ocean include pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, oil, sewage, plastics, discarded fishing gear, and other solid debris. Often, they are released far upstream. Many of these pollutants collect at the ocean’s depths, where they are consumed by small marine organisms and introduced into the global food chain.

Solid waste such as bags, foam, and other items dumped into the oceans from land or by ships at sea are frequently mistaken for prey and consumed by marine mammals, fish, and birds, often with fatal effects. Discarded fishing nets drift for years, ensnaring fish and mammals, leading to exhaustion, starvation, and slow death.

Finally, microplastics have introduced another level of problems, not only for ocean inhabitants but also for humans; no part of the food chain is spared from the detrimental health effects of microplastics.

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How Human Activity Threatens Marine Mammals

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Ocean Noise
In addition to the traditional, physical forms, marine pollution can also include non-physical contaminants, such as noise. In large bodies of water, sound waves can carry with little attenuation (reduction) for miles. Sources of anthropogenic (human-generated) ocean noise include the use of explosives, oceanographic experiments, underwater construction, ship traffic, military active sonar, and airguns used for oil and gas exploration, drilling and shipping activities.

Such noise levels are increasing at an alarming rate, with some areas seeing a doubling of levels every decade for the past 60 years. Noise proliferation can pose a significant threat to marine ecosystems and a range of adverse effects in fish, marine mammals and other ocean creatures, from disturbance to injury and death. AWI and other interested groups are working to reduce ocean noise levels by urging nations to act together to protect marine living resources and ecosystems from the damaging effects of anthropogenic noise.

Oil and Gas Drilling
Offshore oil and gas drilling poses a profound threat to ocean ecosystems, marine wildlife, coastal communities, and the global climate. From seismic airgun blasting that fills the ocean with some of the loudest human-made noise, to drilling, production, and eventual decommissioning, every stage of offshore fossil fuel development brings risks of pollution, habitat destruction, chronic leaks, and catastrophic oil spills. These activities harm whales, dolphins, sea turtles, seabirds, fish, and deep-sea ecosystems—often with long-lasting or irreversible consequences—while also releasing greenhouse gases that drive ocean warming, acidification, and rising seas. Decades of spills, including disasters like Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez, show that offshore drilling is inherently dangerous, and even “routine” operations result in ongoing pollution. AWI works to prevent new offshore drilling and seismic testing, advocating for policies that protect marine life, coastal ecosystems, and a stable climate for future generations.

Renewable Offshore Energy
Renewable offshore energy is essential to addressing the climate crisis, which poses an existential threat to marine wildlife and ocean ecosystems—but it must be developed responsibly. As countries transition away from fossil fuels toward offshore wind and other renewable energy sources, careful planning is critical to avoid unnecessary harm to whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and other marine life. Poorly sited or inadequately regulated offshore wind projects can introduce risks such as noise pollution, vessel strikes, entanglement, and habitat disruption, particularly for vulnerable species like the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. At the same time, misinformation has distorted public understanding of offshore wind’s impacts, distracting from the proven leading threats to marine mammals: fishing gear entanglements and vessel strikes. AWI supports a science-based approach to offshore renewable energy—one that applies common-sense protections from the outset so that renewable energy development and healthy marine ecosystems can and must coexist.