Page 318 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

team can maintain a level of community excitement and interest in the project.
Sensitive information
In some cases, a site may be too fragile or the in- formation recovered too scientifically sensitive to immediately share with the public. For example, a site in imminent danger of looting or vandalism may require that the site location remain confidential. A shipwreck in the stage of open excavation that ex- poses especially fragile timbers or other components may make it unsuitable for visitation. If human re- mains are discovered, archaeologists may be re- quired by ethics, law, and cultural convention to re- frain from making the discovery public. These cases must be decided on an individual basis, although the team leader should be prepared to answer questions, sooner or later, related to the decision, remember- ing that fundamentally heritage and archaeological research are public, not confidential.
Relevant public records
Relevant public records are any depository that can be accessed by the public. These can include public
317
14
Dissemination