Characterizing seasonal fishing patterns and growth dynamics during the Middle and Late Holocene in the Strait of Magellan (Chilean Patagonia): Sclerochronological analysis of tadpole codling (Salilota australis) vertebrae

Abstract

We describe sclerochronological analyses of tadpole codling (Salilota australis) vertebrae as a proxy for the seasonal timing of fishing activities at one Middle Holocene (6500 BP) and three Late–Middle Holocene (3500–2500 years BP) archaeological sites located in Seno Otway and in the central zone of the Strait of Magellan, Chile. These data provide an approximation of the population characteristics of the species in the past by estimating the relationship between size and age of the archaeological fish and comparing their growth rate to those of modern specimens captured monthly over one year. The results showed that the size at age was significantly larger in archaeological samples than in the modern reference collection. Our results indicate that fishing activities took place throughout the year at the Late Holocene sites, with a special emphasis on the cold season, while the Middle Holocene site showed a tendency to catch tadpole codling during the warm season.

KEYWORDS:

• Patagonia
• prehistoric fishing
• sclerochronology
• seasonality
• ichthyoarchaeology
• fish growth

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the collaboration of the Instituto de la Patagonia, Universidad de Magallanes, Flavia Morello and Fabiana Martin. We are also grateful to the laboratory Ethnologie préhistorique UMR 7041, Arscan (France), especially to Dominique Legoupil. Also to Consuelo Huidobro and Rocio Villar for their support in the initial analysis. Finally to IFREMER (France), for the technical support in data analysis and processing, to Chris Harrod for his important suggestions and English corrections, and to Jill Cucchi for copy-editing.

Additional information

Funding

Funding for this research was provided by grants FONDECYT 3170733 and CONICYT-PAI 77170027.