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Below is the AP press report of Mel Fisher's death. ============================ MIAMI (AP) _ Treasure hunter Mel Fisher represented the Florida Keys _ the so-called Conch Republic _ like few others, turning his back on the mainstream in a dogged search for the mother lode. On Saturday, Fisher died of cancer at age 76. ``He's just one of those characters who in this country are so much a part of the wild West feel,'' said Dr. Madeleine Burnside, executive director of the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society Treasure Museum in Key West. ``He pushed the envelope. He was obsessed with finding shipwrecks. But it wasn't for the wealth.'' Fisher was treated for lymphoma with months of chemotherapy, and died at his home in Key West. His family plans to scatter his ashes along Kane's Trail, a 7.5-mile stretch of ocean floor from the site where he found the first silver coin from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha in 1971 to the site of the main pile in '85. Some viewed Fisher's treasure hunting schemes as foolish plans of an obsessed man. People in Key West, however, respected Fisher's unrelenting pursuit of sunken treasure. ``Key West and Mel are synonymous with each other,'' said Pat Clyne, vice president of Fisher's company Salvors Inc. ``I can't think of any other place in the United States that Mel would be comfortable being Mel than Key West.'' A tall outgoing man, Fisher was an approachable island legend. He was named ``King'' of the Conch Republic _ the name longtime residents have given to the Florida Keys _ four times. In July, Key West celebrated Mel Fisher Day on the 13th anniversary of the Atocha find. Fisher leaves a legacy rich with tales of treasures lost and found. In 1985, Fisher hit the mother lode when he came upon the largest pile of coins from the Atocha. He spent 16 years searching for the Spanish galleon loaded with an estimated $400 million in gold, silver and gems. The Atocha was a gamble that paid off at the bank but had a costly effect on the family. Fisher lost a son and daughter-in-law when the search boat they were on capsized in 1975. Fisher battled public opinion and government to pursue his lifelong dream of combing the ocean floor for buried treasure. Florida officials maintained that wrecks discovered within Florida's three-mile territorial waters belonged to the state. Fisher took his fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which awarded him all the artifacts from the Atocha. His storybook life was sullied in recent years with accusations of fraud. Fisher, whose mantra was ``Today's the day,'' didn't always get what he set out for. Last year, a judge ordered Fisher's company to hand over booty from a sunken Spanish galleon for ruining more than an acre of protected sea grass off the Florida Keys while looking for shipwrecks. And in November, Fisher's company pleaded no contest to charges it sold counterfeit coins and paid a fine of $67,000. Despite some of the losses, Fisher always remained optimistic. ``What he stood for was a lot bigger than Mel Fisher,'' said David Paul Horan, Fisher's friend and attorney. ``He stood for the ability to dream and make it come true.'' -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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