The Curse Of Oak Island: Why The Lagina Brothers Couldn't Dig Up The Entire Island

After nine long (and often disappointing) seasons on air, fans of History's popular series "The Curse of Oak Island" know just how frustrating the show can be sometimes. The series follows Rick and Marty Lagina, two brothers obsessed with tracking down a fabled treasure hoard said to rest on the mysterious Oak Island, a small landmass just off the coast of Nova Scotia.

Despite the fact that the brothers have spent years digging up odds and ends all across the island, they still have yet to make any real progress in locating the lost treasure. This has led to some palpable frustration from fans, some of whom believe the series has started to focus more on keeping their ratings high rather than actually searching for the treasure. Their frustration has also led to some interesting suggestions for the search to end as quickly as possible, with one of the most popular ideas being that the Laginas should simply tear up the whole island. 

The appeal of the plan is clear — it would be infinitely more straightforward and comprehensive than haphazardly guessing where the treasure could be buried. So why can't the team just dig up the entire island?

The first and most obvious reason that the Laginas can't just dig up all of Oak Island is the cost, as such an undertaking would be incredibly expensive. While the Lagina brothers have certainly made their fair share of profit over the years and get funding from various sources, it would still take a ludicrous amount of time and money to excavate the entirety of the island.

However, the main reason they can't just dig up the entire island is because such an operation would wreak havoc on the ecosystem of the island and its surroundings. To dig up everything would mean tearing down the 140 acres of forest on Oak Island and endangering all of the animals and plant life that call the island home (via History). This kind of destruction would also have long lasting effects on the ocean life surrounding the island and would be an environmental nightmare, as well as a PR crisis for the series, which is possibly the brothers' main source of income.

The Lagina brothers would never be able to secure permission for this kind of a project, and it's clear that they don't plan to try such a drastic measure anytime soon. So for now, it appears that they will keep to their predictable method of throwing darts at the map and hoping they land on the treasure they've spent their whole lives searching for.