Contingency and agency in the growth of Northwest Coast maritime economies

Zooarchaeological data suggest that the inception and apparent intensificat ion of Northwest Coast fishing economies were not the result of simple nece ssity arising from population growth and environmental depletion, or of enh anced opportunity based on resource productivity. Faunal evidence from the site of Namu, British Columbia, indicates that sedentary settlement, intens ive salmon production, and shell midden formation were independent developm ents, not directly associated with increased salmon productivity or human p opulation growth. Increased storage capacity, contingent on development of plank housing, and social feasting and competition are considered as altern ative explanations for the intensification of salmon fishing. The possibili ty that increased shellfish collection might have been the result of reduct ion in the incidence of paralytic shellfish poisoning, enhanced storage cap acity, and competition in collection activities is also considered. Discuss ion of research priorities for the investigation of maritime adaptations su ggests a need to focus on local and regional environmental opportunities ah ead of the global concerns of material necessity or the particular effects of human agency.