It comes as many in the scientific community have been sounding the alarm over the risks posed by deep sea mining, though some cautioned that not enough is yet known to justify the claim about the extinction of key species in the capability statement. That, in turn, has led to calls for further research.

Kerry McCarthy, a Labour MP who sits on the Environmental Audit Committee, told Unearthed: “As the fragility of our planet and its ecosystems becomes starkly more apparent, it’s difficult to believe the Government is continuing to promote deep-sea mining in the full knowledge it could pose risks to unique species that are integral to the food chain.”

David Rennie, head of Oil and Gas at Scottish Enterprise, the government agency that commissioned the Subsea capability statement, told Unearthed: “This report was commissioned to highlight the market potential in a range of sectors such as aquaculture and marine renewables, that Scotland’s subsea capability could be appropriate for in future market activity. We regularly undertake research into markets to understand the potential these may have for Scotland’s businesses and economy.

“As yet we have not made any decisions, or progressed any activity, on how we might develop seabed mining. Other sectors such as marine renewables and aquaculture are likely to offer more immediate opportunities and any significant developments in seabed mining are likely to be some years off.”

A UK government spokesperson said: “The UK continues to press for the highest international environmental standards, including on deep sea mineral extraction. We have sponsored two exploration licences, which allows scientific marine research to fully understand the effects of deep sea mining and we will not issue a single exploitation licence without a full assessment of the environmental impact.”

Here is the industry report commissioned by the government agency Scottish Enterprise: