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A new report from the environmental activist group has found that the potential impact of deep sea mining is not properly understood.

The new link will be particularly significant to the development of a European offshore grid able to integrate increasing levels of offshore wind and marine power in coming decades.

The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2012 reveals that the sector produced a record 128 million tonnes of fish for human food - an average of 18.4 kg per person - providing more than 4.3 billion people with about 15 percent of their animal protein intake. Fisheries and aquaculture are also a source of income for 55 million people."Fisheries and aquaculture play a vital role in the global, national and rural economy," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva. "The livelihoods of 12 percent of the world's population depend directly or indirectly on them. Fisheries and aquaculture give an important contribution to food security and nutrition. They are the primary source of protein for 17 percent of the world's population and nearly a quarter in low-income food-deficit countries."Árni M. Mathiesen, head of FAO's Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, said: "Fisheries and aquaculture are making a vital contribution to global food security and economic growth. However, the sector faces an array of problems, including poor governance, weak fisheries management regimes, conflicts over the use of natural resources, the persistent use of poor fishery and aquaculture practices. And it is further undermined by a failure to incorporate the priorities and rights of small-scale fishing communities and the injustices relating to gender discrimination and child labour."Boosting governanceFAO is urging governments to make every effort to ensure sustainable fisheries around the world. The report notes that many of the marine fish stocks monitored by FAO remain under great pressure.

The Kingdom of Tonga this month became the first country in the world to put in place a law that manages seabed mineral activities within its national marine space and under its sponsorship in international waters.

Nautilus Minerals has announced that an initial resource estimate shows an inferred resource of 410 million tonnes at its seafloor mining project around Tonga.

Previously, the catapults used were powered by steam. However, General Atomics has developed the EMALS system to use linear induction motors to more finely control aircraft acceleration off the deck. Prysmian Group has received the contract from General Atomics to develop and supply the cables needed to power the system and has supplied more than 85% of the cables used in conjunction with this system.

As land-based minerals become depleted and prices rise, the search for new sources of supply is turning to the sea floor. This emerging industry, facilitated by advances in technology, poses a major threat to our oceans, which are already suffering from a number of pressures including overfishing, pollution, and the effects of climate change.