Paleocoastal marine fishing on the pacific coast of the Americas: Perspectives from Daisy Cave, California

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 sugges t fish provided more than 50 percent of the edible meat represented in faun al 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 a rt the Channel Islands were both more advanced and more variable than previ ously believed. When combined with a survey of fish remains from several ot her early Pacific Coast sites, these data suggest that early New World peop les effectively used watercraft, captured a diverse array of fish, and expl oited a variety of marine habitats and resources.