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Paleocoastal Marine Fishing on the Pacific Coast of the Americas: Perspectives from Daisy Cave, California

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Torben C. Rick ,
Jon M. Erlandson  and
René L. Vellanoweth
Torben C. Rick
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-1218, torrey@oregon.uoregon.edu
Jon M. Erlandson
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-1218, jerland@oregon.uoregon.edu
René L. Vellanoweth
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Humboldt State University, One Harpst St., Areata, CA, 95521-8299, rvllwnth@humboldt.edu
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Abstract

Analysis of over 27,000 fish bones from strata at Daisy Cave dated between about 11,500 and 8500 cal B.P. suggests that early Channel Islanders fished relatively intensively in a variety of habitats using a number of distinct technologies, including boats and the earliest evidence for hook-and-line fishing on the Pacific Coast of the Americas. The abundance of fish remains and fishing-related artifacts supports dietary reconstructions that suggest fish provided more than 50 percent of the edible meat represented in faunal samples from the early Holocene site strata. The abundance and economic importance of fish at Daisy Cave, unprecedented among early sites along the Pacific Coast of North America, suggest that early maritime capabilities on the Channel Islands were both more advanced and more variable than previously believed. When combined with a survey of fish remains from several other early Pacific Coast sites, these data suggest that early New World peoples effectively used watercraft, captured a diverse array of fish, and exploited a variety of marine habitats and resources.

Résumé

Résumé

El análisis de más de 27.000 huesos de pescado de Daisy Cave (Cueva de las Margaritas), cuyos estratos datan entre 11.500 y 8.500 cal B.P, sugiere que los primeros habitantes de Channel Islands (Las Islas del Canal), de la costa del Pacifico norteamericano, pescaron con relativa intensidad en una variedad de nichos ecológicos. Además, usaron un amplio número de distintas tecnologías incluyendo el uso de botes, anzuelos y cuerdas. La abundancia de los restos de especies de pescado y de los artefactos relacionados con la pesca han ayudado a la reconstructión dietética, sugiriendo que el pescado proporcionó más del 50% del alimento, siendo eso representado en las muestras de fauna de este sitio dentro del estrato del Holoceno Temprano. La importancia económica y la plenitud de pescado de Daisy Cave de esta parte de la costa del Pacifico, era sin precedente e indica que la capacidad marítima de los habitantes de los Channel Islands era más avanzada y variable de lo que se creía. Combinado esta informatión con otros estudios sobre restos de pescado de distintos sitios de la costa del Pacifico de entonce, sugiere que la gente del Nuevo Mundo usó con eficacia la tecnología marítima, capturando una diversidad de pescados y explotando una variedad de recursos marítimos de su medio ambiente.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 66 , Issue 4 , October 2001 , pp. 595 - 613
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2001

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