Bahamas: Changes to treasure laws

The Bahamas Tribune: Changes to treasure laws
THE likelihood of persons benefiting from underwater excavations in the Bahamas could be greater, as parliamentarians suggested amendments to the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Bill in the House of Assembly.

As it stands, the government has proposed a 75 to 25 per cent ratio, the majority share, measured by points, to the excavator and the lesser to the government.

The sharing agreement, however, will be conditional, according to Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Charles Maynard who is the government's key player in regulating the underwater market.

"The government," he said, "would get more depending on the cultural value of the artifact. Up front, the government gets to decide which pieces are valuable to us."

The Bill states: "Both government and licensee to agree in writing that government's retention of artifacts important to the protection of the national patrimony may exceed government's 25 per cent share in certain years with the imbalance to be corrected by future divisions."

Such an agreement, Mr Maynard said, is sensitive to the high risk involved, on the part of excavators, during a process, that in many cases involves deep ocean dives.

On the back end, Mr Maynard believes the sharing agreement will encourage licensees to honestly document their findings, granted a detailed report is submitted to the minister in charge.

"From 1972 to 1999, 71 licenses were granted for salvaging artifacts. Forty-six of them never reported anything."

Another stipulation requires excavators to possess a wet and dry restoration unit as a part of their equipment, to ensure the preservation of all salvaged artifacts.

The machine is now used by the Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation, housed at Fort Charlotte.

The Bill, said Mr Maynard, will also ensure that excavators are clear in understanding the salvaging of artifacts and recovering them.

According to Mr Maynard, recovering protects items and their original environment, essentially declaring the area as a national landmark.

"A person would then take the time to do as archeologists do, leaving things intact."

On the other hand, salvaging entails benefiting from any valuable elements.

For years, it has been rumoured that large amounts of silver and gold have been illegally fished, without documentation, from coastal waters off many Family Islands.

The amendments seek to update the law relating to the salvage and recovery of the underwater cultural heritage that has long been an overlooked aspect of the Bahamas.