The exploration phase of collecting deep-sea minerals has begun. So far, no commercial collection has taken place in the deep sea. To date, approximately 40 exploration licenses have been awarded: 31 by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the remainder by different governments within their exclusive economic zones (EEZ). There are 22 exploration resource areas for nodules: 19 from the ISA and 3 from the Cook Islands.
