Inferring fishing intensity from contemporary and archaeological size-frequency data

Plank, Michael J.; Allen, Melinda S.; Nims, Reno; Ladefoged, Thegn N.

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2018.01.011

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Temporal shifts in fish size distributions within the archaeological record may also reveal anthropogenic effects on aquatic ecosystems that imply would sequential removal of the largest individuals (Plank et al, ). Nevertheless, one must exercise caution when interpreting archaeological fish size evidence.…”

Section: Intensity Of Exploitation and Other Anthropogenic Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One definition of the “large fish indicator” used in assessments of the North Sea is the “proportion of fish greater than 40 cm length in bottom trawl surveys” (Engelhard et al, ). Archaeological fish bones are unlikely to derive from bottom trawling, but empirical or modelled comparisons with catches using relevant gear ( e.g., hook and line for many pelagic fishes) can and should be attempted (Plank et al, ).…”

Section: Intensity Of Exploitation and Other Anthropogenic Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It can also be problematic to know what archaeological fish bones, otoliths and shells represent, as is well-rehearsed within the specialist field of zooarchaeology. As a proxy for natural populations, fish-bone assemblages have been filtered by human choices (Barrett & Richards, 2004;Ervynck, 1997), fishing-gear selectivity (Owen, 1994;Plank et al, 2018), non-human piscivores (Nicholson, 2000;Russ & Jones, 2011) and by a myriad of other preservation factors (Butler & Chatters, 1994;Nicholson, 1996;Russ, 2010). This proxy is further affected by how comprehensively the bones were recovered during excavation (Enghoff, 2016;Partlow, 2006), how precisely the remains were identified after excavation (Nikulina & Schmölcke, 2016;Wouters et al, 2007) and how the data were quantified (Domínguez-Rodrigo, 2012;Lyman, 1994;Nicholson, 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An environmental (pre)history of European fishing: past and future archaeological contributions to sustainable fisheries

Barrett

2019

Journal of Fish Biology

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This paper explores the past and potential contribution of archaeology to marine historical ecology. The primary focus is European fishing of marine and diadromous taxa, with global comparisons highlighting the wider applicability of archaeological approaches. The review illustrates how study of excavated fish bones, otoliths and shells can inform our understanding of: (a) changes in biogeography, including the previous distribution of lost species; (b) long‐term fluctuations in the aquatic environment, including climate change; (c) the intensity of exploitation and other anthropogenic effects; (d) trade, commodification and globalisation. These issues are also relevant to inform fisheries conservation and management targets. Equally important, the long (pre)history of European fishing raises awareness of our ecological heritage debt, owed for centuries of wealth, sustenance and well‐being, and for which we share collective responsibility. This debt represents both a loss and a reason for optimism, insofar as it is a reservoir of potential to be filled by careful stewardship of our rivers, lakes, seas and oceans.

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Section: Intensity Of Exploitation and Other Anthropogenic Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Intensity Of Exploitation and Other Anthropogenic Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An environmental (pre)history of European fishing: past and future archaeological contributions to sustainable fisheries

Barrett

2019

Journal of Fish Biology

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“…Archaeologists, ecologists, and fisheries scientists increasingly recognize that data from archaeological fish assemblages can provide critical knowledge of the health and long-term anthropogenic stressors of past fish populations salient to the sustainability of modern fisheries, which globally are in crisis [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. The relevance of archaeological data has not gone uncontested, however.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable Indigenous Fishing in the Pre-Contact Caribbean: Evidence and Critical Considerations from Carriacou, Grenada

Giovas

2021

Sustainability

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Multiple studies reveal pre-1492 anthropogenic impacts on Caribbean fisheries that are consistent with overfishing, including changes in targeted prey, shifts in marine habitats exploited, and decreases in the average body size of taxa. At the Indigenous Caribbean village of Sabazan (AD 400–1400) on Carriacou, Lesser Antilles, post-AD 800 declines in fishing, increased mollusk collection, and changes in resource patch emphasis accord with the archaeological correlates of resource depression predicted by foraging theory models from behavioral ecology. Here, I apply foraging theory logic and abundance indices incorporating body size and fish habitat to test the predictions of expanded diet breadth, declining prey body size, and shifts to more distant fishing patches that are typically associated with overfishing. Results uphold a significant decrease in overall fishing, which may be due to habitat change associated with the Medieval Warm Period. Indices of fish size and resource patch use do not meet foraging theory expectations for resource depression, however. Instead, they suggest an absence of resource depression in the Sabazan fishery and at least 600 years of sustainable fishing. I review similar findings for other Caribbean archaeological sites with either negative evidence for fisheries’ declines or quantitatively demonstrated sustainable fishing. These sites collectively serve as a critical reminder of the heterogeneous trajectories of Indigenous social–ecological systems in the pre-contact Caribbean and the need for meta-level analyses of the region’s ancient fisheries. I discuss the application of the sustainability concept in archaeological studies of fishing and conclude that a more critical, explicit approach to defining and measuring sustainability in ancient fisheries is needed.

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“…There is a growing consensus that our understanding of this process is historically distorted (Pauly & Zeller, 2016), biased towards statistical records that fail to integrate a broad range of fishing practices (Pauly, 1995;Zeller & Pauly, 2018), and the legacy of longstanding human use of aquatic environments in most parts of the world (Jackson et al, 2001;Pinnegar & Engelhard, 2008). Fish and shellfish remains from archaeological contexts can offer valuable qualitative and quantitative information for reconstructing the scale of human exploitation of aquatic resources in the past, notably throughout prehistory (Erlandson & Rick, 2008;Jackson et al, 2001;Lotze & Worm, 2009;McKechnie et al, 2014;Plank, Allen, Nims, & Ladefoged, 2018). This is particularly true for South America, where historical records span the last 500 years.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre‐Columbian fisheries catch reconstruction for a subtropical estuary in South America

et al. 2019

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Small‐scale fisheries provide food and livelihoods for thousands of people along the Brazilian coastline. However, considerable uncertainties still surround the extent to which artisanal and subsistence fisheries contribute to the total of national landings and their historical ecological significance. Fisheries monitoring is deficient in Brazil, and historical records are limited to irregular accounts spanning the last few decades, while this coastline has supported human populations for at least 6,000 years. Here, we estimate pre‐Columbian subsistence catches for a large subtropical estuary in southern Brazil. Our results suggest that prehistoric populations may have extracted volumes of fish biomass higher than or comparable with historical subsistence fisheries in the region, and that the latter is likely underestimated. If a long‐term perspective is required to evaluate the current economic value and status of fisheries in subtropical and tropical South America, this should go beyond the historical time interval and integrate the contribution of pre‐Columbian archaeology.

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Inferring fishing intensity from contemporary and archaeological size-frequency data

Cited by 9 publications

References 41 publications

An environmental (pre)history of European fishing: past and future archaeological contributions to sustainable fisheries

An environmental (pre)history of European fishing: past and future archaeological contributions to sustainable fisheries

Sustainable Indigenous Fishing in the Pre-Contact Caribbean: Evidence and Critical Considerations from Carriacou, Grenada

Pre‐Columbian fisheries catch reconstruction for a subtropical estuary in South America

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