The “Fishing Link”: Salmonids and the Initial Peopling of the Americas

ABSTRACT

Archaeological evidence of the use of anadromous salmonids is widespread across northeastern Asia, Beringia, and well into the northwestern portion of North America. Here it is proposed that after the last glacial maximum, the initial colonists into the Americas migrated from northeastern Asia along the newly exposed coast of Beringia and North America, drawn by salmonids that had colonized the newly formed streams and rivers all along the coast. Once south of the ice, some groups moved inland along major river systems while others continued south along the coast. The broad adaptational capability of these first migrants enabled them to rapidly adjust to different ecozones and conditions. The shifting settlement systems necessitated by rising sea levels is also considered.

KEYWORDS:

• Peopling the Americas
• salmonids
• fishing
• Paleoindians

Acknowledgments

I greatly appreciate the encouragement of Ted Goebel and Kelly Graf in the completion of this research. I am also grateful for the comments and/or assistance of Jim Cassidy, R-Patrick D. Cromwell, Ken Gobalet, Ted Goebel, Robert Leidy, Tom Quinn, and three anonymous reviewers. Marion Coe kindly produced the figures. Finally, I appreciate the input of my Peopling of the Americas students.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Mark Q. Sutton is Professor Emeritus at California State University, Bakersfield. He earned his PhD in Anthropology at University of California Riverside in 1987 and subsequently served as Professor of anthropology and Director of the Center for Archaeological Research at CSU-Bakersfield. Sutton’s research has focused on the archaeology of hunter-gatherers in California and the Great Basin. Among his books are Archaeological Laboratory Methods: An Introduction (2014, with Brooke Arkush), Paleonutrition (2010, with K. Sobolik and J. Gardner), A Prehistory of North America (2011), Introduction to Cultural Ecology (2013, with E. Anderson), and An Introduction to Native North America (2016).

ORCID

Mark Q. Sutton http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2065-5157