, 2013b). Although SMS mining is still at the prospecting and exploratory phase, exploitation of SMS deposits will probably occur in the next few years in the Western Pacific. Globally, numerous deposits have

been identified from a suite of hydrothermal environments and depths, with a range in deposit size and mineral content. SMS deposits can either be hydrothermally active or inactive, although the distinction between these is not always clear. As well as commercially viable ore, deposits are also host to complex biological communities. These include a chemosynthetic community of hydrothermal vent specialists adapted to active deposits and a community of background fauna inhabiting PLX4032 order inactive deposits. There is also the potential

for another community to exist at inactive deposits adapted to the weathered sulfide habitat. GW-572016 molecular weight Benthic communities demonstrate complex distributions at deposits, with the vent communities also exhibiting particularly constrained biogeographic patterns. The connectivity, recolonisation and potential recovery of populations at SMS deposits have not been studied in detail; vent populations have been investigated at various locations but the ecology of populations at inactive deposits is largely unknown. As there is no precedent for SMS mining, predicting the impacts is challenging. However, impacts are predicted to occur across all marine environments ranging from site to regional scale over short and prolonged durations. The nature of these impacts will vary between deposit locations and with the equipment and methods used. Regulation of SMS mining

falls under different legislation according to the jurisdiction under which the proposed project falls. Within the EEZ or legal continental shelf of a country, SMS mining is regulated by national legislation; outside of this, projects are regulated by international legislation implemented before by the International Seabed Authority. There are also various codes issued by stakeholders to encourage best practice in activities at SMS deposits. Current regulations generally demonstrate commitment to the protection of the marine environment but without considerably more information on SMS deposit ecology it will be a challenge to make decisions on suitable management and mitigation strategies. Management of SMS mining should include the development of clear management objectives, a comprehensive environmental impact assessment, implementation of suitable mitigation strategies, establishment of a long-term monitoring program, and clear decision rules associated with changes.