A Socio-Economic Study of Commercial Salvage Activity in the FKNMS

Dr. R. Duncan Mathewson III

In South Florida there is nothing new about shipwreck salvage. Along with fishing, it is the earliest commercial industry in the Florida Keys. The salvage of sunken treasure dates back to the early 16th century when Spanish ships loaded with New World riches began to be lost in great numbers on their way back to Spain.

Over the centuries, the recovery of a shipwreck cargo or "wrecking" as it was known then, brought enormous fame and fortune to Key West making it one of the wealthiest cities in the United States from the 1830's to the 1850's. The legacy and traditions of shipwreck salvage live on today in the Keys through the legends and success of the late Art McKee, Mel Fisher, Jack Haskins, John Brandon and many other contemporary salvors.

Since the early 1960's a permitting program (some would call it an "unholy alliance") evolved between commercial salvors and the State of Florida concerning the recovery of sunken treasure. This uneasy partnership has been based upon agreements which have operated with very obvious bumps and bruises along the way for almost 40 years.

Photo by Pat Clyne

In 1974, a year after I first began to consult with Mel Fisher, I formulated a conceptual model to define in more explicit terms the interrelationships between major stakeholders in the commercial salvage program. Although first formulated almost 25 years ago, this schematic diagram reflects the situation more or less as it still exists today (Fig.1). Notable changes have been the decrease of the percentage of artifacts received by the state from 25% to 20% and the interplay of Admiralty Law through the Federal courts.

Recent efforts have been made by NOAA to mis characterize the socio-economic impact of commercial salvage in the Florida Keys in order to marginalize them as an important stakeholder in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS). NOAA's approach to commercial salvage has been similar to the way they have tried to undercut the viability of commercial fishing in the sanctuary. Biased conclusions based on insufficient data, inaccurate assumptions and faulty research methodology have been used by NOAA to paint a very imbalanced and erroneous picture of what the socio-economic impact of commercial salvage in the Keys has been in the past and what it is expected to be in the future.

Over the next 6 months I will be compiling data for a study of the socio- economic impact commercial salvors have had in South Florida over the last fifty years. This study will place the role of commercial salvage within a proper historical context relative to its socio-economic contributions. Specific attention will be focused on how salvors have contributed to the evolution of marine archaeology as a science while preserving a lost chapter in the Spanish colonial history of the New World through the recovery of artifacts on the 1622, 1715, and 1733 treasure fleets.

Particular efforts will center on documenting the impact the salvage of sunken Spanish treasure has had on supporting the local waterfront economy and drawing thousands of tourists and scuba divers each year to South Florida and the Keys from all over the world. Detailed information and data will also be presented for the analysis of non-market economic values of submerged cultural resources in the FKNMS.

Anyone who wants to contribute to this study should contact the author as soon as possible.