Decreto-Lei n.º 164/97, de 27 de Junho: Normas relativas ao património cultural subaquático (Decree-Law 164/97 of 27 June: Rules on underwater cultural heritage)
27 June 1997
Decree-Law No. 164/97 establishes the regime for Underwater Archeological Works and aims to harmonise the legislation governing underwater archaeological activities with that applicable to terrestrial archaeological activities in Portugal. The previous legislation separated Underwater Archeology from Terrestrial Archeology in what concerns methodological criteria and state supervision. On the other hand, these laws clearly established the commercial exploitation of underwater archaeological activity, to the detriment of the scientific contextualisation of the cultural heritage in question. This legislation addresses the need to protect and preserve historical and scientific information found in underwater
