December 9, 2001

Dear Sir,

I fail to see the logic in the new Historic Wreck Act 2001. The taxpayer is going to have to pay higher taxes and the people of Bermuda will lose out on new exploration and discoveries of our heritage.

Why would anyone spend a great deal of time and money looking for a shipwreck, document, excavate, retrieve artefacts, preserve them and then have the artefact belong to the Government? And on top of that you have to pay a fee for the licence - no mention in the Act of the cost of the fee!

Most wrecks around Bermuda were salvaged at the time of wrecking. Bermuda had no resources or supplies, and had to salvage all that could be retrieved to either build a ship, or for daily use. Words bandied about like "plundering" and "pillaging" are completely inaccurate and the people using such extreme words have obviously not dived on many wrecks around Bermuda. There is very little of intrinsic value on the wrecks, spikes and pottery shards are the norm. How many armchair "authorities" have actually been scuba diving, for extended lengths of time, or poor visibility or even snorkelled on the reefs around Bermuda? For a handful of divers, the Act is extreme and gives unpleasant undertones.

Once again the taxpayer will see their taxes increase. Who is going to pay a building and the display of the artefacts? Who is going to pay the custodian? Who is going to pay the custodian to photograph and record pertinent details of the artefacts for inclusion in the database of the National Collection and how long will it take? Who is going to pay to have Bermuda's waters patrolled and how will this be monitored? Who is going to pay for the ongoing preservation and display of the artefacts? Who will subsidise all of the above on an on going basis? The taxpayer!

There will be no cooperation between divers and Government, Bermuda's heritage will come to a grinding halt, and no one will ever say they have found an artefact or wreck. The word "amnesty" implies that anyone that has an item now has committed a crime. How many homes have items from shipwrecks that have been handed down for generations and also might not even know the origin of an item.

What will happen to the KBB Marine Environment Day? An unsuspecting person finds bottles that are over 50 years old. How are they going to prove that it is not flotsam, jetsam or lagan from a wreck? Will the individual or KBB have to pay a $25,000 fine or one year in prison? For hundreds of years, refuse was thrown in the ocean from the shoreline.

The penalties are severe, most penalties for harden criminals are less. The wording alone would alienate anyone from The Historic Wrecks Act 2001. Where is the partnership between the diving community and the Historic Wrecks Act 2001? This is not a win, win situation. We need a partnership so all Bermuda will benefit from a wonderful resource, Bermuda's Heritage.

MAGGIE

Paget