Perspectives on the Future, and the Past, of Underwater Archaeology in the Cultural Resource Management Industry

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Perspectives on the Future, and the Past, of Underwater Archaeology in the Cultural Resource Management Industry," at the 2022 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

It is time to assess the lessons learned from the last half century of underwater cultural resource management (CRM) in a way that propels current and future practitioners to uphold high standards and advance the field of study. Over the last several decades, significant progress has been made regarding remote-sensing technology and techniques, management protocols, and research methods. Advances in the underwater CRM industry regularly coincide with the ‘ebb and flow’ of development needs, sometimes allowing for the testing of new equipment and improvement of preservation guidelines. At other times, there is a lack of expansion in the field, which can lead to stagnation of progress. This symposium is meant to facilitate a dialogue between university archaeologists, cultural resource managers, and other professionals to ensure that underwater cultural resources are assessed appropriately with the best technology at hand and in ways that will best preserve cultural heritage for future generations.