Mr. Pateman
Magoopeter...I believe is bahamamike here on t-net. Not sure if he is back in an official capacity with government since the current elections. Perhaps he will say hello here and fill us in on what's going on latley concerning treasure permits. The video is very telling, and makes it easy to see why permitting is so controversial from government to government. Make no mistake there is digging on the marivillia as we speak !! So some things are happening !!
I tend to agree with Mike in principle, but we can?t all be lumped into a collective called, treasure hunters, some of the archaeological community are very abusive and discriminate in the way they refer to shipwreck explores and divers as treasure hunters, it is very insulting to call a person and label them with a slang word, I fell treasure hunting has become a word that people use in a derogatory manner.
How every I cant say that Mike is using the words treasure hunter in that manner, I think he is spot on here, what was done in the way he describes was wrong, it was not only smash and grab it disrespected the nation of the Bahamas in the worst way imaginable everyone deserves their share.
Maravillas today, I believe this is a controlled excavation and there will be a proper records and an archive of artefacts, with publication and a museum display , there is a museum being built I believe to house artefacts from the Maravillas?
There is a world of opportunity for the Bahamas that could be derived from UCH, Mikes mention of heritage tourism is not to be taken lightly around 24 billion $ is spent in the Caribbean by tourists each year.
There does need to be a recognition that the UNESSCO UCH policy is flawed it is not the most beneficial policy to society or the best policy for shipwrecks there are models that could be used that allowed for the sale of artifacts.
Historical wreck sites have a huge benefit in the way of information and education that is lost if they are kept in situ on the seabed, that benefit is also lost if archaeological methods are not used and the information is not recorded, so there needs to be a coming together of people who want to commercially exploit shipwrecks and those who want to make sure the archaeological record is not lost.
I was lucky enough to work with some of the world?s best archaeologists for me the Mary Rose and the t,Vliegent hart was the beginning of maritime archaeology both were based on different funding strategies.
The t,Vliegent Harts case commercial shipwreck explores joined forces with archaeologist, it worked, shipwreck were excavated investors got returns , government got 20% of the profit?s archaeologist were employed and more importantly had shipwrecks to excavate, even students got the chance to have hands on experience.
Artifacts of historical importance were recovered, that I believe would not have been the case if it was purely commercial venture. The Dutch museums are full of artifact from such excavation and there is now a huge amount for information for students to study. The Pity is that now archaeologist have to make a case that a shipwreck is at risk before they can excavate the wreck, and the public pays.
The way things are going today is lot to do with ego, s of some archaeologists , many have advised on policy and ring fenced shipwrecks for their own benefits, most of the early shipwreck explores cannot be blamed, after all there was no rules to play by then, but some quite clearly are to blame for the situation we find ourselves in today, as Mike has pointed out.
After covid people deserve to have a chance at following their dreams, if they play by the rules but those rules need to fair for everyone.
