Kodiak Island's Prehistoric Fisheries: Human Dietary Response to Climate Change and Resource Availability

Abstract

ABSTRACT Here I assess the effects of climate change and fluctuating resource abundance on prehistoric fisheries in the Gulf of Alaska using zooarchaeological remains, stable isotope analysis, and salmon abundance data. These lines of evidence are used in the context of foraging theory to test whether people accommodated climate change and resource fluctuation by transitioning from a riverine to a marine environment. Based on comparison of these datasets, there is real change in the fishing strategy through time, but this change cannot be explained by variations in local climate change or salmon abundance.