Page 407 - Green - Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook. 2nd ed

386 Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook, Second Edition
An important management arrangement would be the establishment of an advisory committee. It is inevitable that the administration of such a program is likely to become difficult and contentious. If there is no clear involvement of the various stakeholders, they will be fragmented by dif- ferent pressure groups. A way of avoiding such a division is to create a formal “advisory committee” which advises the director of the government agency responsible for the management of sites. This allows the project director to bring issues to the advisory committee that can be discussed and recommendations tabled. Provided there is wide representation on this committee, it is unlikely that any resolution will be passed without major- ity support. This provides a double advantage of ensuring that issues are properly discussed and that decisions are seen not to be made by one agency, but rather by consultation in committee. This is a useful way of deflecting criticism of contentious decisions, because one agency has not made the decision.
5. Location of Sites
The methods of locating sites have been discussed previously, however, it is important to examine how the process of locating sites will fit into the CRM process, as it requires careful management. Also, achievable goals need to be established and a work program formulated with a realistic time frame. For example, in any given time a small team of divers can search a fixed area of seabed. An estimate of the time required to survey a known length of coastline would be needed as well as the area expected to be able to survey within, for example, a five-year time frame. What would be expected to be achieved within this period, a 1% coverage, or a 10%, 20%, or 50% coverage? In addition, what area of deep-water seabed could be realistically surveyed in, for example, a three-week survey period?
The most significant requirement for this work is to establish a geo- graphical information system (GIS). This will allow the archaeologists and managers to record and assess the development of the program and monitor the status of the sites. A GIS gives excellent visual representation of numerical and visual data, so that the progress of the project and the condition of each site can be easily monitored. Additionally, the develop- ment of a shipwreck database is an essential management tool.
C. MANAGEMENT OF SITES
A CRM plan must give a clear definition of how the site management will operate. Sites need to be regularly inspected and a program developed