Shipwreck Site Formation Processes of Commercial Fish Trawling and Dredging

Summary

This regional thesis documents that 1) commercial bottom fishing gear damages shipwrecks and 2) shipwrecks negatively affect commercial bottom fishing. From a 52-wreck sample, 69% of mid-Atlantic shipwrecks have 1 or more derelict trawl nets or scallop dredges on site. Deeper than 150 ft. (46 m), all metal wrecks have 1 to 5 scallop dredges, increasing at scallop rotational access areas. Sadly, wood wrecks do not survive towed dredge impacts. An enhanced shipwreck site formation process diagram is proposed with commercial bottom fishing presenting three modes: material deposit, scrambling, and extraction.

Motivationally, recreational divers wish to retain wreck structure, fisheries managers strive to preserve essential fish habitat, archaeologists desire to safeguard heritage, and most mid-Atlantic fishermen attempt to avoid shipwrecks. Yet, U.S. East Coast fishermen have lost $76 million dollars of gear in 25 years and the losses continue. Mid-Atlantic fishermen believe the solution is knowledge of accurate shipwreck locations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Formation Processes of Maritime Archaeological Landscapes and Sites   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 278