Few archaeological sites in the central western Pacific (i.e., Fiji-Samoa-T
onga region) have provided large and temporally well-controlled archaeofaun
al assemblages. Therefore, three sizable Rotuman assemblages, dating to the
ca. 7th-11th century AD, provided an opportunity to improve our understand
ing of the region's traditional fishing practices. The assemblages are anal
ysed in terms of taxonomic composition, abundances, and ecological associat
ions of the taxa. Indications are that the foraging range and intensity of
Rotuman fishing may have declined through time, although the results from t
his single site are interpreted with caution. Comparison with other Pacific
assemblages suggests that this may be a common trajectory, one which is to
varying degrees intertwined with agricultural intensification, the growth
of animal husbandry systems, increased competition, and possibly resource d
epression. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.