Indigenous oyster fisheries persisted for millennia and should inform future management

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Reeder-Myers et al. 2022.pdf (4.98 MB)

Date

2022

Authors

Reeder-Myers, Leslie A.
Braje, Todd J.
Hofman, Courtney A.
Elliot Smith, Emma A.
Garland, Carey
Grone, Michael A.
Hadden, Carla
Hatch, Marco
Hunt, Turner
Kelley, Alice

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Nature Communications

Abstract

Historical ecology has revolutionized our understanding of fisheries and cultural landscapes, demonstrating the value of historical data for evaluating the past, present, and future of Earth’s ecosystems. Despite several important studies, Indigenous fisheries generally receive less attention from scholars and managers than the 17th–20th century capitalist commercial fisheries that decimated many keystone species, including oysters. We investigate Indigenous oyster harvest through time in North America and Australia, placing these data in the context of sea level histories and historical catch records. Indigenous oyster fisheries were pervasive across space and through time, persisting for 5000–10,000 years or more. Oysters were likely managed and sometimes “farmed,” and are woven into broader cultural, ritual, and social traditions. Effective stewardship of oyster reefs and other marine fisheries around the world must center Indigenous histories and include Indigenous community members to co-develop more inclusive, just, and successful strategies for restoration, harvest, and management.

Description

Keywords

zooarchaeology, archaeology, anthropology, historical ecology, marine historical ecology, shell middens, marine conservation

Citation

Reeder-Myers LA, Braje TJ, Hofman CA, Elliot Smith EA, Garland C, Grone MA, Hadden C, Hatch M, Hunt T, Kelley A, LeFebvre MJ, McKechnie I, McNiven IJ, Newsom B, Pluckhahn T, Sanchez GM, Schwadron M, Smith KY, Smith T, Spiess A, Tayac G, Vollman T, Weitzel EM, Rick TC. (2022). Indigenous oyster fisheries persisted for millennia and should inform future management. Nature Communications 13: 2383 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29818-z

URI

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29818-z
 http://hdl.handle.net/1828/13951

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Faculty Publications (Social Sciences)
 
University of Victoria Libraries

We acknowledge and respect the Lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees and Esquimalt) Peoples on whose territory the university stands, and the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.