Dell 11 years, 9 months ago on Treasure salvaging can 'wipe out national debt'
Treasure salvaging can 'wipe out national debt'
Folks, allow me to introduce my friend Alexandre. He is known Internationally for his egotistical rants which are of no credit to Archaeological academia. It's interesting that an article in the Tribune, has stirred up so much hostility in him as to infer that the Bahamian government, and people are stupid, and reference to "A sucker is born every minute? What has this man ever done for the Bahamian people that he feels he can speak in such a manner? I apologize that he can at times be fanatical, but overall he is an excellent Archaeologist, worthy of being hired by any Shipwreck Salvor.
I do not have all the details but from my viewpoint the Bahamas government is doing every thing right. To the best of my understanding the Shipwreck Salvage permits will be issued to Bahamian organizations, and corporations who have to meet a strict criteria and commit to providing both Archaeological, and important Geophysical data which will be obtained from the hundreds of square miles of ocean floor that will be systematically scanned electronically as a requirement for obtaining a permit. This is time consuming work that is too expensive to be undertaken by the government without the help of private enterprise.
Each lease holder is required to have at least one Marine Archaeologist in their group to comply with Government rules, regulations and Archaeological guidelines, who file their daily activity reports to the Bahamian Archaeologist designated to oversee the activities of the Salvage lease holders, and the compilation of data.
From what I see, the Bahamanian Government's plan makes this a win, win, situation for everyone.
Who knows, in this day of electronic technology, scanning the ocean floor for Shipwrecks, might discover the remnants of past civilizations. What a publicity coup that would be for the Bahamas. Shipwreck Salvors, could even invite Alexandre, to witness the worlds amazing discovery. Dell
Dell 11 years, 9 months ago on Treasure salvaging can 'wipe out national debt'
Treasure salvaging can 'wipe out national debt'
Mr Hartnell's, article already explains some of the reasons Shipwreck Salvage would benefit the Bahamas, in the short term. The long term benefits will depend on new discoveries that attract Free media attention to support tourism, and new enterprises that develop as a result of this endeavor.
Because of the voliltility of the ocean much of the remains of historic Shipwrecks will not survive another hundred years and that portion of our past will be lost forever to the future generations.
Troughout the Shipwreck moratorium, local owned Bahamian musuems were unable to obtain pemits to legally recover historic shipwreck artifacts from their own local waters while outsiders were quietly looting Treasure from Bahamian waters. Shipwreck Musuems are international tourist attractions that benefit the local economies. This is a new day, and even if it should be only short term, Shipwreck Salvage provides a new opportinty that I hope will not be squanderd.
The Albert Lowe musuem, on Green Turtle Cay, Abaco has recently opened a Historic Shipwreck section with a few donated artifacts. They have met all the Government criteria, including an Archaeologist, and applied for a permit to salvage shipwreck artifacts from their Harbour and Ocean waters just off shore. They are still awaiting a permit to do so.
Bahamian companies and organizations are those standing in line to receive Shipwreck Salvage permits. Should Bahamians be denied this opportunity? Dell
Private_Sector 11 years, 9 months ago on Treasure salvaging can 'wipe out national debt'
Treasure salvaging can 'wipe out national debt'
Following is a letter written by Taffi Fisher Abt daughter of world famous, legendary treasure hunter Mel Fisher
"From: Taffi Fisher Abt, President Mel Fisher Center, Inc. RE: “Oceans Act of 2000”
“Economically speaking, there is a domino effect that touches many industries not usually associated with salvage such as cultural tourism (including airlines, hotels, museums, rental car agencies, advertising, etc.) and the literary and film production fields and in turn many smaller industries are also affected. In the last decade, in the Sebastian, Florida area alone, my company has engaged employment for at least 1,500 people in fieldwork, systematically excavating the wrecks more than 8,000 days, recovering in excess of 38,500 artifacts with a monetary value in excess of $12,000,000 .00. From these artifacts, we donated more than 1,500 (most of the best) to the "People of the State of Florida" for their museums and collections valued in excess of $2,500,000. Tallahassee has a wonderful exhibit and the State sends exhibits all over the nation. We also have a traveling exhibition. Tens of thousands of school children and youth groups attend our exhibitions. We have also had hundreds documentaries, books, periodical articles, and even school texts written with this venture as their main subject. This in turn has generated substantial income to the industries of writers, news crews, TV and movie production companies, advertising agencies, moving companies, exhibit designers, etc. Copies of these books and videos such as Discovery Channel, National Geographic, A&E, etc. then get sold in bookstores, video stores, spreading not only economic gain but also knowledge and education of the general public.
In the last 8 years, we have enjoyed an attendance in excess of 105,000 visitors to our Sebastian museum alone (which showed demographically as an unsuccessful area for tourism) since opening in Dec. of 1992. More than $500,000.00 in attendance was generated back into commerce for expenses, employing another 80 people. Our museum/gift store has generated sales in excess of $2,600,000 over the last decade, and again, that money went back into the general mainstream of commerce. On this expedition alone in the past 8 years, our corporation has spent more than $2,600,000.00 in expenses at dive shops, marinas, fuel docks and grocery stores, welders, diesel engine mechanics, etc….again money that went back into the general mainstream of commerce.
Remember, ALL of the above facts are solely related to eleven shipwrecks in one small 60 square mile patch of earth.
Private_Sector 11 years, 9 months ago on Treasure salvaging can 'wipe out national debt'
Treasure salvaging can 'wipe out national debt'
The Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society & Historical Museum in Key West Florida has over 200,000 visitors annually. Again, these visitors spend millions of dollars annually in the local economy.
The idea that private sector and good archaeology cannot co-exist is pure poppycock!!
All Florida private sector "treasure salvors" work with an archaeologist and perform artifact recovery with the practice of the State's "Archaeological Guidelines For Salvaging Historic Shipwreck Sites"
and then there is this....
Treasures retrieved from sailing vessels wrecked in treacherous waters off the Florida coast are to be analysed by experts at the University of Huddersfield. They won’t be getting their hands on gold, silver or casks of fabulous jewels. But to members of the Arms and Armour Research Group, the artefacts they will examine are equally precious.
The group, which includes historians, scientists and specialists in weaponry, has been forging important international links. And the latest is with the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society, a not-for-profit organisation which runs a massively popular museum at Key West, in Florida. It is named after its benefactor, a diver who combed the seas off the Florida coast in search of sunken ships. One of his most spectacular finds was a Spanish galleon named the Atocha, sunk in 1622.
But although Mel Fisher was a professional treasure hunter, he also dreamed of a museum and educational facility that would enable the public to learn about his undersea world. It was established in 1982 and Mel Fisher – who died in 1998 – endowed it with a large collection of objects that he had discovered and they help to attract visitor numbers of 200,000 a year.
The Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society continues its underwater research. “But for us it’s not about finding treasure but finding historical events that helped shape the way that we look at the past,” says Corey Malcom, who is the Society’s Director of Archaeology. “So for us a slave ship, for example, is just as valuable as a treasure-laden galleon.”
So if a museum where the public can see, touch and learn about cultural history is your proper idea of what should happen to submerged cultural resouces voice your backing of private sector salvage.
"The finding of a great treasure from the days of the Spanish Main is not the cherished dream of only the United States and Florida citizens; countless peoples from other lands have shared such thoughts. It would amaze and surprise most citizens of this country, when their dream, at the greatest of costs, was realized, the agents of respective governments would, on the most flimsy grounds, lay claim to the treasure."
---Judge William O.Mehrtens
U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida
August 21, 1978 Ruling Against the State of Florida
voltairehumor 10 years, 8 months ago on 'Tremendously sad' if multi-billion opportunity missed
'Tremendously sad' if multi-billion opportunity missed
how come they are not doing it yet then?
voltairehumor 10 years, 8 months ago on 'Tremendously sad' if multi-billion opportunity missed
'Tremendously sad' if multi-billion opportunity missed
so if no bahamian organizes himself to do it in the next 100 years then the world and the economy should wait?
WildBill 10 years, 8 months ago on 'Tremendously sad' if multi-billion opportunity missed
'Tremendously sad' if multi-billion opportunity missed
Very nice article other than the 3000 nautical miles which is obviously a typo. I'm sure he meant 3 square miles which is manageable and will soon become the standard in my opinion. Survey the 3 and apply for another 3. The Bahamas don't have a lot of resources, they should take advantage of the shipwrecks by letting a limited amount of qualified companies document and recover whatever hasn't already been looted or destroyed by the sea and set up some quality museums which in turn would bring in more tourist money.
Dell 11 years, 9 months ago on Treasure salvaging can 'wipe out national debt'
Treasure salvaging can 'wipe out national debt'
I would like to Thank the Tribune for sharing this knowledge with the Bahamian people.
There has been no word from the Government when, or if, Salvage permits will ever be issued. What is the delay? In my opinion a great opportunity for the Bahamas tourist industry, local Museums, and millions in revenue from the Salvage of Treasure shipwrecks is being lost by every day of delay. Dell