A trans-Holocene historical ecological record of shellfish harvesting on California’s Northern Channel Islands

For over 10,000 years, shellfish were an important food and raw material resource for ancient peoples on California’s Northern Channel Islands. Early Channel Island peoples often focused on large, easy-to-gather intertidal species such as California mussels (Mytilus californianus) and black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii), with later peoples expanding their shellfish economy to include a wider range of species. By the time of European contact (AD 1542–1820) the Island Chumash lived in large, sedentary villages and collected a diverse range of shellfish species by the millions. Although predation by the Chumash and their ancestors affected the size of several key shellfish species, 19th and 20th century commercial harvests targeted specific, high-value species for global markets, bringing several shellfish species (e.g., white [Haliotis sorenseni], pink [Haliotis corrugata], and black abalone) to the brink of extinction. This analysis of shellfish remains from Northern Channel Island archaeological sites tracks the changing role of shellfish in human subsistence economies from Terminal Pleistocene to Historic times. An archaeological record featuring several millennia of relative resiliency under intensive Native American predation suggests that regulated, sustainable, and productive shellfish fisheries can be maintained if balanced and healthy near-shore ecosystems are rebuilt.