Zooplankton from the eastern Clarion Clipperton Zone. (Goetze, Ellis, Cazares via SWNS)

Deep-sea mining is threatening vital marine life in the ocean’s “twilight zone,” reveals new research.

The findings raise "urgent concerns" about long-lasting effects if large-scale commercial mining proceeds without strong environmental safeguards, say scientists.

For example, Pacific tuna fisheries operate in the zone - which means that deep sea mining waste could impact fish eaten by people around the world.

Waste particle plumes ejected by mining operations into deep Pacific waters threaten the food sources of more than half of zooplankton, according to the first study of its kind.

The problem is leading to "bottom-up" disruption of the zone's delicately balanced food system, say scientists at

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