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121115 | Company unveils plan to harvest tin from seabed | This is Cornwall

As reported in The Cornishman/West Briton Thursday, November 15, 2012

Company unveils plan to harvest tin from seabed

Thursday, November 15, 2012

The Cornishman

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MULTIMILLION-pound proposals to harvest tin deposits from the seabed off Hayle have been unveiled.

The plans, which would see marine deposits of the metal reclaimed between St Ives and St Agnes, could create up to 100 jobs and kick-start major investment in the region.

While the proposals are at a very early stage, they could see Hayle harbour used for processing the tin, deposited on the seabed as a result of mining.

But some are concerned there could be serious consequences for the environment and tourism.

Cornish company Marine Minerals has been given a permission from the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) to investigate whether it is possible to recover the tin in an environmentally, socially and economically viable way.

The rising price of tin, which is used in computers and mobile phones among other things, could see millions of pounds' worth of the metal brought ashore if investigations prove successful.

Marine tin deposits have been mined off the Cornwall coast in the past, most recently in the Eighties, using dredging.

Marine Minerals is looking into more environmentally friendly methods of extracting the deposits, including filtering the sand at sea, with only the portion containing tin – less than 5 per cent – being taken ashore and the remainder replaced. It is also considering options for how and where the sand can be brought ashore for processing and at the possibility of using Hayle harbour for the task, which could see major investment in the port.

Work to start extracting around 40 core sand samples, allowed by the MMO permission, is due to start in the coming months.

Surfers Against Sewage's (SAS) campaign director Andy Cummins said the charity had some major concerns about the effect it could have on "a very valuable" stretch of coastline.