"Pacific Activists Kayak Against Deep Sea Mining as U.S. Vessel Docks"

In the Cook Islands, activists protested against deep sea mining as the Nautilus vessel returned to Rarotonga, highlighting rising environmental concerns in the Pacific Ocean.

• Four activists in kayaks confronted the Nautilus, a vessel engaged in a U.S. funded research expedition on mineral nodule fields near the Cook Islands.
• The protest in Rarotonga featured Cook Islanders holding a banner that read Dont Mine the Moana, symbolizing their opposition to deep sea mining practices.
• The Nautilus has been surveying seabed resources in partnership with the Cook Islands Government and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over the past three weeks.