Fnarr
Today on the news there was a story about the Fantome. It would seem that Nova Scotia, in contrast to all the other provinces, grants permits to salvagers, and now they have done just that to an American company who are hoping to find the lost treasure of the Fantome. So let's see...a British warship possibly carrying looted American items (from the White House, natch) that sank in Canadian waters. How could this possibly be controversial? The salvagers are paying lip service to archaeology, but still. The grave robberssalvagers claim that there's one million dollars in stuff on the wreck, but even in the face of fortune, I'm sure they'll follow all archaeological protocols ::rolls eyes::. This is the problem. Salvagers just haul out anything that's worth a buck, and they'll dynamite the site if need be to get at it. But a wreck is worth more than the shiny stuff. The type of ship, its construction, the possessions of the crew, all the stuff that has no monetary value; this is all important. Sure, gold and jewels are cool, but in terms of what they tell us, they're not as valuable. And frankly, if you're hoping to strike it rich by investing in a salvage operation, you'd be better off playing the lotto. You have a better chance, and you won't be destroying history.