Magnet fishing to retrieve submerged items, including Civl War things.

[LincolnMan]

Have any of you magnet fished? Have you watched any of the videos on YouTube? I haven't done it but Donna and I are talking about trying it. We have plenty of water here in Michigan! All kinds of things are being pulled out of the water, including Civil War era stuff. I wonder what the laws are on this, if any. Magnet fishing in public waters, ok?

[L Verge]

Have any of you magnet fished? Have you watched any of the videos on YouTube? I haven't done it but Donna and I are talking about trying it. We have plenty of water here in Michigan! All kinds of things are being pulled out of the water, including Civil War era stuff. I wonder what the laws are on this, if any. Magnet fishing in public waters, ok?

First time that I've heard of this, but it seems a wonderful tool to assist underwater archaeology as well as encourage large-scale development of equipment that could clean up the waters as well -- thinking along the lines of the old oyster dredges that literally raked up their bounty. Many of the old ones still existed in the Chesapeake Bay and Southern Maryland rivers when I was a child.

[LincolnMan]

Have any of you magnet fished? Have you watched any of the videos on YouTube? I haven't done it but Donna and I are talking about trying it. We have plenty of water here in Michigan! All kinds of things are being pulled out of the water, including Civil War era stuff. I wonder what the laws are on this, if any. Magnet fishing in public waters, ok?

First time that I've heard of this, but it seems a wonderful tool to assist underwater archaeology as well as encourage large-scale development of equipment that could clean up the waters as well -- thinking along the lines of the old oyster dredges that literally raked up their bounty. Many of the old ones still existed in the Chesapeake Bay and Southern Maryland rivers when I was a child.

I’m finding not many of my peers have heard of this new hobby. I think it’s fascinating. There have been a few explosives that have been pulled up- cannon balls and grenades. So it has it’s dangers. Still-it has so much potential to aid in history. One fellow found a mounted British light cannon from the Revolutionary War in a pond. Cool stuff!

[Anita]

Magnet fishing is big in the U.K. and legal as long as permits are filed and finds are reported. I've read a number of articles about finds using magnets in the Thames River. Also videos on YouTube. The finds, even those not considered treasure, are useful to archaeologists and historians. It's important to record location and depth.

I think it's great fun. Never know what you might pull up. However it's always smart to check magnet fishing laws in the U.S. I did some searching and so far find that currently it's legal here.

Bill, Laurie and Donna, please keep us posted on your findings.

[LincolnMan]

Yes. I was wondering what the magnet fishing laws might be here in the USA. We will keep you posted.

[L Verge]

Yes. I was wondering what the magnet fishing laws might be here in the USA. We will keep you posted.

I received this today from a member of our gov't. agency's archaeology team:

Hi Laurie,

I have never heard of “magnetic fishing” so I contacted the MD State Assistant Underwater Archaeologist to get his take on it. He’d also never heard of it! But after some research, he stated that in most cases it would violate this part of the Maryland Code of Regulations (I’ll also attach them, if you’re interested):

Limited Collection of Artifacts.

(1) Subject to the provisions of §§B(2) and (3) and C and D of this regulation, a person, without a permit, may collect from any one site not more than five individual artifacts that:

(a) Are exposed or resting on the bottom sediments of submerged lands but are not embedded;

(b) Do not require excavation to recover; and

© Weigh cumulatively not more than a total of 25 pounds.

(2) Artifacts may not be recovered from a site unless they can be obtained by hand or through the use of screwdrivers, wrenches, or pliers, which may be not larger than 12 inches in length and have a width across the jaws of not more than 2 inches.

(3) After recovery of artifacts as prescribed in §B(1) and (2) of this regulation, a lift bag may be used solely for the purpose of transporting the artifacts to the surface.

I think if you were magnet fishing off your own dock, it might be permissible? But otherwise, you might be seriously destroying a submerged resource.

If nothing else, you added to our vocabulary for the day! So thanks for sharing.

-Stephanie

One thought that crossed my mind after touring several respectable conservation labs over the years (Maryland's and the Smithsonian's in particular) is the concern over having properly prepared waters/sediment/etc. in which to place the artifacts once they reach the surface. Maintaining an environment in which they had "survived" for hundreds of years would be all-important in preserving them for study, I would think.

If you want to learn more about the raising of Civil War ships and armaments, check out Wikipedia for articles on the raising of the USS Cairo and also the Confederate submarine Hunley. I am proud to say that a good friend, Edwin Bearss, NPS emeritus, set out with a magnetic compass to find the Cairo, did, and wrote a book about it ca. 1980s. Likewise, an anthropologist from the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum was involved in the examination of the Hunley about a dozen years ago. Douglas Owsley did some work for my history division in examining 18th-century skeletons interred in iron caskets in a burial vault on the grounds of one of the historic house museums that we administer. The history world is filled with some amazing folks.

[Anita]

Thanks Laurie. Very helpful and good to know. Seems to me the legal aspects haven't been addressed in a uniform way by state and what is the Federal position on this?

[L Verge]

Thanks Laurie. Very helpful and good to know. Seems to me the legal aspects haven't been addressed in a uniform way by state and what is the Federal position on this?

https://www.magnetfishingpro.com/us-magnet-fishing-law/

Anita - If this is accurate, magnet fishing is only illegal in South Carolina. I bet they are very protective of their CW artifacts lying right off shore... I would be.

[LincolnMan]

Yes. I was wondering what the magnet fishing laws might be here in the USA. We will keep you posted.

I received this today from a member of our gov't. agency's archaeology team:

Hi Laurie,

I have never heard of “magnetic fishing” so I contacted the MD State Assistant Underwater Archaeologist to get his take on it. He’d also never heard of it! But after some research, he stated that in most cases it would violate this part of the Maryland Code of Regulations (I’ll also attach them, if you’re interested):

Limited Collection of Artifacts.

(1) Subject to the provisions of §§B(2) and (3) and C and D of this regulation, a person, without a permit, may collect from any one site not more than five individual artifacts that:

(a) Are exposed or resting on the bottom sediments of submerged lands but are not embedded;

(b) Do not require excavation to recover; and

© Weigh cumulatively not more than a total of 25 pounds.

(2) Artifacts may not be recovered from a site unless they can be obtained by hand or through the use of screwdrivers, wrenches, or pliers, which may be not larger than 12 inches in length and have a width across the jaws of not more than 2 inches.

(3) After recovery of artifacts as prescribed in §B(1) and (2) of this regulation, a lift bag may be used solely for the purpose of transporting the artifacts to the surface.

I think if you were magnet fishing off your own dock, it might be permissible? But otherwise, you might be seriously destroying a submerged resource.

If nothing else, you added to our vocabulary for the day! So thanks for sharing.

-Stephanie

One thought that crossed my mind after touring several respectable conservation labs over the years (Maryland's and the Smithsonian's in particular) is the concern over having properly prepared waters/sediment/etc. in which to place the artifacts once they reach the surface. Maintaining an environment in which they had "survived" for hundreds of years would be all-important in preserving them for study, I would think.

If you want to learn more about the raising of Civil War ships and armaments, check out Wikipedia for articles on the raising of the USS Cairo and also the Confederate submarine Hunley. I am proud to say that a good friend, Edwin Bearss, NPS emeritus, set out with a magnetic compass to find the Cairo, did, and wrote a book about it ca. 1980s. Likewise, an anthropologist from the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum was involved in the examination of the Hunley about a dozen years ago. Douglas Owsley did some work for my history division in examining 18th-century skeletons interred in iron caskets in a burial vault on the grounds of one of the historic house museums that we administer. The history world is filled with some amazing folks.

Good information!