Protocol Implementation Service

The Protocol recommends that every find discovered during aggregate dredging is reported through an Implementation Service run by Wessex Archaeology.

Wessex Archaeology investigate every find that has been reported with the support and advice of a wealth of specialists, both within Wessex Archaeology and across the country.  This information is collated into a series of reports – one for the wharf or vessel that made the discovery, one for English Heritage, BMAPA, The Crown Estate, Local Government Archaeological Officers and Portable Antiquities Scheme Officers and a third report is generated for the Receiver of Wreck when necessary. Any other agency that may have an interest in dredged remains, for example the Ministry of Defence, will also be informed and all finds are uploaded onto this website as an RSS feed.

Wessex Archaeology staff will advise directly on finds that are obviously isolated and uncontentious. Discoveries that may indicate the presence of a larger site of archaeological interest or importance are referred directly to English Heritage who has the power to implement temporary or permanent exclusion zones around archaeological remains in order to protect them.

The way in which finds are reported allows our submerged heritage to be understood and this information, gained because of the diligence of BMAPA staff, has become an important resource for informing other offshore projects.

The annual reports from the last three years of the Implementation Service are available to download or view online.