Ontario's professional Maritime Archaeology

[Scott McWilliam]

This link will take you to a short article that illustrates the level of professional competence by the Ontario Marine Heritage Committee and their decades-long failure to develop a submerged cultural resource management plan.

The Ontario Marine Heritage Committee Submerged Cultural Resources Management, Failure Analysis and Critical Review. Draft #1

 

[Scott McWilliam]

Does not know what she is digging up
Does not know what she reburied
Does not know much about underwater archaeology
Does not know what she is talking about and cannot understand why no one listens to her advice

 

[Jared0425]

And apparently dislikes divers or anyone who isnt a "trained archaeologist".

 

[Scott McWilliam]

She also mentioned that she no longer dives, so there may be a little dog in the manger problem.

 

[tursiops]

I'm sure your venting on SB will solve all the problems.

 

[Scott McWilliam]

I do not see any venting here it is time to address the matter, it is not going to go away by itself. This is a case of speaking truth to power. Ontario is a democracy, but it is very different from where you live. Here the candidate with the most votes wins and is elected to office. One of the tasks governments are elected to do is manage resources. This includes submerged cultural resources like shipwrecks and the largest stakeholder group who utilize this resource are sport divers. The Ontario Marine Heritage Committee advises the government on this matter and the sport diving public no longer has confidence in their advice to the government with cause.
The stated purpose of the SCUBA Board is to promote and facilitate the sport of SCUBA diving and Scarlet advocates restricting diver access to dive sites. The antithesis of what this web site was designed to accomplish. I believe in the democratic process and an educated diving public will resolve the matter in their best interest and the resource and the public. I am sorry if it upsets you and your vision of political correctness but you do not get to vote here. Putting your head in a hole in the ground and hoping the problem will go away does not work. Archaeologists have been trying this approach for years.

 

[Scott McWilliam]

~

 

[skippy311]

Thanks for the interesting read!

"As this is the antithesis of good archaeology, sport divers were seen by
archaeologist’s as “bubble blowing Neanderthals” and “frog swimming pirates.”
While I am sympathetic to the degree of frustration and concern sport divers have caused the archaeological community, it was the archaeologist who did not handle the situation well. Neanderthals are often thought of a branch of humanity with
lower intelligence based on cranial size. As a population sport diver’s have a
measured above average IQ, often in the superior range."

 

[Scott McWilliam]

Thank you for taking the time to read it.

 

[skippy311]

Thank you for taking the time to read it.

Many colorful descriptions were used!