Treasure Island No More

Nova Scotia to limit treasure hunting
By JULIA SKIKAVICH, QMI Agency

Last Updated: July 14, 2010 7:16pm
Treasure hunters will have until the end of the year to unearth the legendary trove on Oak Island before the Nova Scotia government cracks down on excavations.

The provincial government intends to end commercial treasure hunting on the island on Dec. 31.

Legend has it 2,000 lbs. of treasure are buried on the island in an area

called the Money Pit.

When the Nova Scotia legislature returns in the fall it will table

legislation to repeal the Treasure Trove Act and amend legislation to

protect "special places" in the province and to remove all references to

"treasure,” the government announced Wednesday. It will also put in place an Oak Island Act to specifically regulate hunts on the island off Nova Scotia's south shore.

The legislation is an effort to preserve marine resources and to bring the province in line with a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) convention for the protection of cultural

heritage, said Natural Resources Minister John MacDonell.

The Treasure Trove Act was enacted in 1954 to govern treasure hunting on Oak Island and to license salvage operations for shipwrecks off Nova Scotia's coast.

If passed, the new legislation will prevent commercial treasure hunting in the province and its offshore waters, said David Salter, a spokesman for the natural resources department.

Treasure hunting will only be permitted for archeological or historical purposes and any finds would become property of the Crown, Salter said.

Under the proposed legislation, treasure hunters will have to apply for a

heritage research permit and will need an archeologist to lead the

excavations, which must have a historical purpose, said Michael Noonan,

director of communications for the tourism, culture and heritage department.

The exact implications of the Oak Island Act will remain to be seen after the legislation is drafted and if it is enacted, Noonan said.

But government officials expect the legislative changes will mean less interest in treasure hunting, Salter said, since there will no longer be the opportunity for personal or commercial gain.

About a dozen commercial treasure hunters operate in the province and five licences have been renewed up to the proposed Dec. 31 deadline.

Interest in the legendary treasure on Oak Island "waxes and wanes over

periods of time," said Noonan.

Though the legislation would limit treasure hunting and excavations on Oak Island and offshore, it could open up other niche tourism opportunities like scuba diving tours at shipwreck sites, said Noonan.

The hunt for treasure on Oak Island began in 1795 when 16-year-old Daniel McGinnis discovered a circular depression adjacent to a tree with a tackle block, which is used in shipping for hoisting heavy weights.

Excavations at the site, which became known as the Money Pit, have

reportedly found flagstones, markings from digging and coconut fibre going down at least 31 metres.

One of the stones reportedly had an inscription that when deciphered read, "forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried."

No one knows for sure what may be buried on the island.

Some theories argue it's pirate treasure of Captain Kidd or Blackbeard.

Others say it's more likely naval treasure buried by the Spaniards,

British or French.

Theories suggest the legendary treasure could be gold or silver or even the jewels of Marie Antoinette, important historic documents or artifacts hidden by the Knights of Templar.

Though excavations have continued on the island, modern geologists have argued the pit, which is susceptible to flooding, is a sinkhole and a series of natural caverns — not booby traps.