The Congress finds that—

1. (a) States have the responsibility for management of a broad range of living and nonliving resources in State waters and submerged lands; and
2. (b) included in the range of resources are certain abandoned shipwrecks, which have been deserted and to which the owner has relinquished ownership rights with no retention.

(Pub. L. 100–298, § 2, Apr. 28, 1988, 102 Stat. 432.)

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

Pub. L. 100–298, § 1, Apr. 28, 1988, 102 Stat. 432, provided that:

“This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987’.”