A Forum by John Brandon
PART TWO
As many readers may already know, the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary is now a reality. On January 28, 1997, the Florida Cabinet voted its approval of the NOAA management plan for the sanctuary.
However, in response to the concerns expressed by many citizens of the Florida Keys, and as a result of the November 4, 1996, non-binding referendum vote in which 55% of the voters of the Keys were against the Sanctuary, the Florida Cabinet adopted a set of resolutions that took much of NOAA’s all-encompassing power away. NOAA must now have the approval of the Florida Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Fund on a whole host of issues ranging from the imposition of fees, the formulation of emergency regulations, the promulgation of federal fisheries regulations that are more restrictive than those established by Florida, etc. Further, “The final resolution of any management conflicts shall be decided by NOAA in the waters of federal jurisdiction, and by the Board in state waters.”
Additionally, the resolution calls for “Periodic evaluation of the effectiveness of the sanctuary management plan in the protection and preservation of the marine resources of the Florida Keys.” This will include the management of Submerged Cultural Resources, i.e. shipwrecks.
Also, the memorandum agreement between NOAA and Florida’s Secretary of State’s office, the agency responsible for overseeing the research and recovery of Florida’s historical shipwrecks, was significantly modified in the days and hours preceding the Cabinet vote. These modifications were all in the best interests of the people of Florida and the private sector historical shipwreck salvors.
While there is still much to be done, historical shipwreck recovery by the private sector is guaranteed a place within the management of the Sanctuary, particularly those sites within the territorial waters of the state of Florida. To be sure, the days of taking the boat out to a favorite wreck site, dropping down through 15 or 20 feet of clear blue water, unlimbering your favorite metal detector and going for the gold unrestricted are gone. But those days were pretty much gone even before the advent of the Marine Sanctuary.
Historical shipwreck salvors (a term I prefer over “treasure hunters” to describe our efforts to recover treasure, artifacts, historical and archeological information from sunken shipwrecks and which I started using some 15 years ago) must begin to realize that we do have a responsibility to ensure that our recovery efforts meet certain minimum standards that will preserve our cumulative collected on-site data., historical research and reasonable representative collections of recovered treasures and artifacts, so that future generations can share in the excitement, adventure and knowledge that we are fortunate enough to be involved in recovering.
Failure to do so will result in the end of private sector recovery of historical shipwrecks. This will be brought about by a handful of well-connected government and university archeologists who covet the shipwrecks of Florida for themselves. Not particularly for their archeological or historical importance, which in most cases is limited, but rather because they represent potential sources of government grants. This is the primary process by which many government archeologists climb the ladder of success on the backs of tax payers.
Indeed, it is important that everyone be cognizant of the real historical and archeological importance of the shipwrecks lost off the Florida coast, and not just what some would have us believe. First, what would be considered and historical important shipwreck? Criteria for this evaluation might include the following: Those vessels which played a significant and pivotal role in history either as a result of their sinking or in their use within their lifetime. These might include vessels lost while on voyages of colonization or exploration, or vessels lost in important major or key naval battles or engagements, etc. The vast majority of vessels lost off the coast of Florida will not fit this definition, as most were only engaged in sea borne commerce. While their losses ma have caused financial hardships for individuals, companies or governments, they rarely played significant roles in the overall evolution of history.
Next would be the criteria for what is archeologically importance, they must add significant, previously unknown data to the world body of knowledge pertaining to a given culture, time frame, or technology. The collection of redundant data is not good science, nor is it a cost effective use of public funds and resources.
It must also be taken into consideration that in dealing with shipwrecks off the coast of Florida, that we are not dealing with thousand of years of cultures whose trade routes, technologies, religions, politics, etc., are very little understood and shrouded in the mists of time, giving them an almost mythic aura. Quite to the contrary, over the past 30 years research in archives, libraries and private and public literary collections world wide has reached unprecedented levels, providing us with volumes of information relating to the ships and shipwrecks and the people and cultures who built and sailed them during the discovery, exploration, and settlement of the New World from the 1500s to the 1800s.
To be sure, and this is something that every historical shipwreck salvor and even casual collectors must remember, every historical shipwreck site must be explored with the assumption that it might yield new and unknown data to the rold body of knowledge and, therefore, exploration and recovery must always be carried out under applicable, reasonable, and acceptable guidelines. However, historical shipwrecks should never be used in a wholesale manner by government archeologist and/or government agencies for the purpose of gaining access to the public coffers, especially in order to use tax payer dollars for spurious or questionable shipwreck related projects that have little chance of yielding previously unknown archeological data or which will prove not to be of pivotal historical importance.
Additionally, it only makes good sense for the salvors to keep accurate on-site data, as most shipwrecks are spread over miles of ocean bottom. It is only through the compilation and evaluation of accurate on-site data that the modern salvor can hope to maximize his recoveries and understanding of the site he or she is exploring. Further, the legacy of accurate information the salvor leaves behind will help future salvors and archeologists to interpret and explore the shipwrecks of Florida.
--John Brandon.
