What deep sea mining could mean for American Sāmoa
No one should have to choose between a healthy ocean and a stronger economy without seeing the whole picture. This page lays out — plainly and in both languages — what the Territory could gain, what it could lose, and the questions that still don't have answers.
Potential benefits
Revenue for the Territory
Royalties and shared revenue could help fund schools, clinics, roads, and the village projects families have waited years for.
Local jobs and training
Port services, environmental monitoring, and skilled marine roles — with training that stays in the community.
Minerals the world needs
Cobalt, nickel, and manganese power batteries, phones, and clean-energy technology.
New scientific knowledge
Surveys map a stretch of seafloor almost no one has ever seen, adding to what we know about our own waters.
Potential risks
Sediment plumes
Stirring the seabed creates clouds of fine sediment that can drift far and settle over fishing grounds.
Slow to recover
Life on the deep seafloor grows back over decades or centuries, not seasons — damage can be effectively permanent.
Boom-and-bust income
Mineral prices rise and fall sharply, so the revenue is far from guaranteed year to year.
Too many unknowns
Much of the deep ocean is still unstudied, so some impacts may not be understood until after they happen.
Figures and findings will be sourced and updated as the NOAA / NV5 surveys and independent reviews are published.
Potential concerns with commercial extraction
Four concerns identified for American Samoa. Each is being evaluated; none has been resolved.
Environmental impacts
Potential disturbance to seafloor habitats, sediment plumes, and effects on deep-sea biodiversity and ecosystem functions that require careful assessment and monitoring.
Fisheries concerns
Possible interactions with commercial, recreational, and subsistence fisheries, including resources vital to local food security and livelihoods in American Samoa.
Unknown long-term effects
Limited baseline scientific data on deep-ocean ecosystems means long-term ecological consequences remain uncertain and demand rigorous, ongoing research.
Cultural considerations
Respect for faʻa Samoa values, traditional ocean knowledge, and community stewardship, ensuring local voices meaningfully shape decisions and outcomes.
Potential benefits with commercial extraction
Five benefits put forward in the same briefing. They are potential, not promised — each depends on decisions that have not been made.
Improved national security
Secure domestic supply of critical minerals essential for U.S. defense systems and advanced technologies, reducing foreign dependency.
Energy transition
Enable clean energy technologies (batteries, EVs, renewables) with responsibly sourced nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper.
Economic opportunities
Generate local jobs, long-term revenue streams, and business growth while ensuring benefits stay in American Samoa communities.
Scientific research
Advance ocean science, environmental monitoring, and university partnerships that build local capacity in marine geology and robotics.
Infrastructure investment
Drive port modernization, multi-use facilities, and supporting infrastructure that strengthen both commercial and national security needs.
Both the concerns and the benefits above are being evaluated as part of the federal review process — none is settled. Read more on the environmental risks & safeguards and old vs new technology pages.
Where the money would go
Revenue from seabed minerals would flow to the people of American Sāmoa through royalties and a public revenue-sharing framework, not to a private few. The Steering Committee's subcommittees on Revenue Sharing, Infrastructure, and Workforce Development exist to make sure any income is invested in schools, health, roads, and lasting local jobs — and tracked in the open.
What's still unknown
The deep seafloor off our islands is one of the least-explored places on Earth. The NOAA and NV5 surveys are still mapping it. Until that science is complete and independently reviewed, some environmental and economic impacts cannot be stated with certainty — and we will say so rather than guess.
Our commitment
Every claim on this page will carry its source. Benefits and risks are shown side by side, never averaged into a comfortable middle. As new survey data and reviews are published, this page will be updated in public view.