In order to dive to the Edmund Fitzgerald, a permit must be granted by Canadian authorities. This requirement arose following numerous—and unregulated—expeditions to the wreckage. After the American freighter sank in Canadian waters of Lake Superior in 1975, expeditions were undertaken to the site, some of which were controversial. Notably, in 1994 a crewman’s body was filmed near the freighter’s bow, and the following year two scuba divers touched the Edmund Fitzgerald. Following pressure from families of the 29 crewmen who perished, the wreck was declared a protected grave site under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2006. Anyone diving to the wreckage without permission faces a substantial fine of up to one million Canadian dollars.