Should shipwrecks be left alone?

[ZSilvia]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15031084

Not surprising, there is no explanation of what we do over the treasure hunter...you come away feeling the two are the same.

Any thoughts, rants?

[pdurdin]

You could introduce protective rules/laws, but the costs of enforcing them are staggering, even if it was clear which country would have the responsibility.

In my view it's the same issue as metal detectorists. A scheme like the PAS for marine treasure hunters might be good, but again it would have to be an international effort. If marine treasure hunters were making comprehensive records of what they brought up (and maybe some are) and making those records available to archaeologists then a lot of the stigma would dissipate.

[Dinosaur]

Should shipwrecks be left alone? - Absolutely, get quite wet and cold enough working on land, thankyou very much!