Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Fish Remains from Four Archaic Sites of the Southeastern United States

在伊丽莎白·J·雷茨博士的监督下，卡罗尔·科拉尼诺将检查佐治亚州海岸(美国)已知的最早考古遗址的鱼类遗骸，以寻找过度捕捞和环境变化的证据。这些遗骸是从四个晚期古老的贝壳环中挖掘出来的，这些贝壳环在公元前3000-1000年间被早期美洲原住民占领：圣西蒙斯岛的沼泽和西环遗址，以及圣凯瑟琳岛的圣凯瑟琳和麦昆环。晚期的古老贝壳环由密密麻麻的贝壳和动物骨骼组成，环绕着相对无壳的内部。对这些遗址和其他遗址的考古调查记录了这些渔民狩猎采集的社会和政治制度的复杂性。以前的研究还表明，鱼在居民的饮食中占很大比例。然而，目前尚不清楚人类种群是否影响了鱼类种群，或者更确切地说，是否与人类活动无关的早期环境波动改变了它们。该项目将通过追求三个研究目标来澄清这一问题：1)记录佐治亚州海岸的晚期古代捕鱼做法；2)检查鱼类遗骸以寻找人类过度捕捞的证据；3)分析鱼类遗骸以估计这段时间内的环境条件和波动。将使用标准的动物考古方法来识别未知的考古鱼类遗骸，以确定这些古代人使用的鱼类和捕鱼方法。为了评估这些贝壳年轮中的鱼类种群是否经历了过度捕捞，将检查与树轮相似的鱼耳骨(耳石)的增量生长带，以了解生长速度的变化。生态学理论预测，在过度捕捞的种群中，鱼在较小的年龄就会变得更大。自然环境波动，加上人类的捕捞压力，可能会影响鱼类的生长速度。在确定是否发生过度捕捞之前，必须消除作为影响鱼类生长的潜在因素的环境波动。将使用鱼耳骨的地球化学分析(稳定的氧同位素剖面)来确定中全新世温度。由此产生的温度和生长速度将澄清人类使用和其他环境影响对鱼类种群的关系。最近对渔业的评估表明，鱼类种群和生长模式在20世纪发生了变化。当务之急是建立工业化前的比较，以便与现代渔业的影响相比较，并确定与捕鱼活动有关的历史变化。结合鱼类生长速度使用环境数据是确定影响渔业健康的原因的重要一步。除了指导本科生学习与该项目相关的考古和博物馆程序外，这项研究还将有助于研究生的培训。结果将通过佐治亚州自然历史博物馆的教育和推广计划向更广泛的受众展示。

Under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth J. Reitz, Carol Colaninno will examine fish remains from the earliest known archaeological sites on the Georgia coast (U.S.A.), for evidence of overfishing and environmental variations. The remains were excavated from four Late Archaic shell rings, occupied by early Native Americans between 3000-1000 B.C: the Marsh and West Rings sites on St. Simons Island, and the St. Catherines and McQueen Rings on St. Catherines Island. Late Archaic shell rings consist of densely packed shell and animal bones encircling relatively shell-free interiors. Archaeological investigations at these and other sites document the complexity of the social and political systems among these fisher-hunter-gatherers. Previous works also demonstrate that fish comprised a large portion of the inhabitants' diet. It is unclear, however, if human populations impacted fish populations or rather if early environmental fluctuations, unrelated to human activity, altered them. This project will clarify this question by pursuing three research objectives; 1) documenting Late Archaic fishing practices off the Georgia coast, 2) examining fish remains for evidence of overexploitation by people, and 3) analyzing fish remains to estimate environmental conditions and fluctuations during this time period. Standard zooarchaeological methods will be used to identify unknown archaeological fish remains to determine the fish and fishing practices used by these Archaic people. To assess whether fish populations represented in these shell rings experienced overfishing, incremental growth bands of fish ear bones (otoliths), which are similar to tree rings, will be examined for changes in growth rates. Ecological theory predicts that fish in overfished populations achieve larger sizes at younger ages. Natural environmental fluctuations, in addition to human fishing pressures, can influence fish growth rates. Before it is possible to determine if overfishing occurred, environmental fluctuations must be eliminated as potential factors affecting fish growth. Geochemical analysis (stable oxygen isotopic profiles) of fish ear bones will be used to establish Mid-Holocene temperatures. The resulting temperatures and growth rates will clarify the relationship between human use and other environmental impacts on fish populations.Recent assessments of fisheries suggest twentieth-century changes in fish populations and growth patterns. It is urgent to establish preindustrial comparisons to which the effect of modern fisheries can be compared and to establish historical changes associated with fishing activities. The use of environmental data in conjunction with fish growth rates is an important step towards determining the causes that influence the health of fisheries. This research will assist in graduate student training in addition to instructing undergraduates in archaeological and museum procedures associated with this project. The results will be presented to a broader audience through the Education and Outreach Program of the Georgia Museum of Natural History.