Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-ndmmz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-21T01:23:18.071Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An Economic Evaluation of the Potential of Fish Utilization in Riverine Environments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

W. Frederick Limp  and
Van A. Reidhead
W. Frederick Limp
Affiliation:
Foundation for Illinois Archaeology, Kampsville, IL 62053
Van A. Reidhead
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO 63121
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Aquatic fauna, and fish in particular, have had an important place in a number of theories of the development of complex cultural manifestations. Using experimental data, a number of specific characteristics of fish usage in riverine evironments have been evaluated. In one case 45.5 kg of fish were harvested in 4 man-hours from a floodplain slough using only two logs. The energy represented by the catch was sufficient for 9.9 man-days or a return of 60 to 1 [60 hours of energy per hour of labor]. Sufficient protein was produced for a return of 384 to 1 [384 hours of protein per hour of labor]. The species composition of the catch was also informative, with 50% of the weight contributed by gizzard shad, Dorosoma cepedianum, a small fish. It is demonstrated that archaeological recovery techniques are heavily biased against the recovery of gizzard shad and other small fish remains. The nature of this bias and considerations for compensation are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 44 , Issue 1 , January 1979 , pp. 70 - 78
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1979

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References Cited

Adair, James 1775 The history of the American Indians; particularly those nations adjoining to the Mississippi, east and west Florida, Georgia, South and North Carolina, and Virginia. Edward and Charles Dilly, London.Google Scholar
Alexander, Charles, and Nunnally, Nelson 1972 Channel stability on the lower Ohio River. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 62:411–417.Google Scholar
Alexander, Charles, and Prior, J. C. 1971 Holocene sedimentation rates in overbank deposits in the Black-Bottom of the lower Ohio River insouthern Illinois. American Journal of Science 270:361–372.Google Scholar
Benson, Adolph B. 1937 The America of 1750: Peter Kalm's travels in North America. Wilson-Erickson, New York.Google Scholar
Biggar, H. P. 1929 The works of Samuel de Champlain (Vol. III). The Champlain Society, Toronto.Google Scholar
Binford, Lewis R. 1968 Post-Pleistocene adaptations. In New perspectives in archaeology, edited by Binford, S. R. and Binford, L. R., pp. 313–341. Aldine, Chicago.Google Scholar
Casteel, Richard W. 1972 Some archaeological uses of fish remains. American Antiquity 37:404–419.Google Scholar
Casteel, Richard W. 1974a A method for estimation of live weights of fish from the size of skeletal elements. American Antiquity 39:94–98.Google Scholar
Casteel, Richard W. 1974b On the remains of fish scales from archaeological sites. American Antiquity 39:557–581.Google Scholar
Chambers, James 1799 Record of field notes, west of the 1st Meridian in Indiana (Vol. I). On file, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis.Google Scholar
Crisman, Thomas, and Whitehead, Donald 1975 Environmental history of Hovey Lake, southwestern Indiana. American Midland Naturalist 93:198–205.Google Scholar
de Vries, David Pietersz 1857 Voyages from Holland to America, A. D. 1632 to 1644. Billin and Brothers, New York.Google Scholar
Forbes, Stephen A., and Richardson, Robert E. 1928 The /ishes of Illinois. Illinois Printing Company, Danville.Google Scholar
Fowelles, H. A. 1965 Silvics of forest trees of the United States. United States Department of Agriculture, Handbook 271. U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.Google Scholar
Harrington, Mark A. 1913 A preliminary sketch of Lenape Culture. American Anthropologist 15:208–235.Google Scholar
Jochim, Michael A. 1976 Hunter-gatherer subsistence and settlement: a predictive model. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Jordan, David S. 1878 Report on the fishes of Ohio. Geological Survey of Ohio 4:737–1002.Google Scholar
Jordan, David S., and Gilbert, Charles H. 1882 Synopsis of the fishes of North America. United States National Museum Bulletin 16.Google Scholar
Lambou, Victor W. 1959 Fish populations of backwater lakes in Louisiana. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 88:7–15.Google Scholar
Lee, Richard B. 1969 !Kung Bushman subsistence: an input-output analysis. In Environment and cultural behavior: ecologicalstudies in cultural anthropology, edited by Vayda, A. P., pp. 47–79. Natural History Press, Garden City.Google Scholar
Limp, W. Frederick 1974 Water separation and flotation processes. Journal of Field Archaeology 1:337–342.Google Scholar
Lockard, Frank 1964 A fishery survey of the Ohio River embayments in Indiana formed by Markland Dam. Manuscripton file, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indianapolis.Google Scholar
McKay, J. W., and Crane, H. L. 1957 Yields and leaf spot ratings of hickories in the Beltsville plantings, 1949-1957. Annual Report of the Northern Nut Growers Association 48:61–65.Google Scholar
Mills, Harlow B., Starrett, William C., and Bellrose, Frank C. 1966 Man's effect on the fish and wildlife of the Illinois River. Illinois Natural History Survey Biological Notes 57.Google Scholar
Munson, Patrick J. 1976 Changes in and relationships of subsistence, settlement, and population in the central Illinois River Valley. Paper presented at the 41st annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, St. Louis.Google Scholar
National Research Council, Food and Nutrition Board, National Academy of Science 1973 Recommended daily dietary allowances. National Academy of Science, Washington, D. C.Google Scholar
Parmalee, Paul W., Paloumpis, Andreas A., and Wilson, Nancy 1972 Animals utilized by Woodland peoples occupying the Apple Creek Site, Illinois. Illinois State Museum Reports of Investigations 23.Google Scholar
Ray, Louis 1965 Geomorphology and Quaternary geology of the Owensboro Quadrangle, Indiana and Kentucky. United States Geological Survey Professional Papers 488.Google Scholar
Reidhead, Van A. 1976 Optimization and food procurement at the prehistoric Leonard Haag Site, southeastern Indiana:a linear programming approach. Ph. D. dissertation, Indiana University. University Microfilms, Ann Arbor.Google Scholar
Rostlund, Erhard 1952 Freshwater fish and fishing in native North America. University of California Publications in Geography 9.Google Scholar
Smith, Bruce D. 1975 Middle Mississippi exploitation of animal populations. University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology Anthropological Papers 57.Google Scholar
Smith, John 1907 The general historie of Virginia, New England and the Summer Isles, together with the true travels, adventures and observations, and a sea grammar, by John Smith, Captaine (2 vols. ). J. Mac Lehose, Glasgow. Struever, Stuart Google Scholar
Smith, John 1968a Woodland subsistence-settlement systems in the lower Illinois Valley. In New perspectives inarchaeology, edited by Binford, S. R. and Binford, L. R., pp. 285–312. Aldine, Chicago.Google Scholar
Smith, John 1968b Flotation techniques for the recovery of small-scale archaeological remains. American Antiquity 33:353–362.Google Scholar
Swanton, John R. 1946 The Indians of the Southeastern United States. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 137.Google Scholar
Thwaites, Reuben G. 1896-1901 Jesuit relations and allied documents (73 vols. ). Burrows Brothers, Cleveland.Google Scholar
Watson, Patty Jo 1976 In pursuit of prehistoric subsistence: a comparative account of some contemporary flotation techniques. Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology 1:77–100.Google Scholar
Watt, Bernice K., and Merrill, Annabel L. 1963 Composition of foods: raw, processed, prepared. United States Department of Agriculture, Handbook 8.Google Scholar
Winters, Howard Dalton 1969 The Riverton culture: a second millennium occupation in the central Wabash Valley. Illinois State Museum fleports of Investigations 13.Google Scholar
Wood, William 1898 New England's prospect. E. M. Boynton, Boston.Google Scholar
Wrong, G. M. 1939 Father Gabriel Sagard: the long Journey to the country of the Hurons. The Champlain Society, Toronto.Google Scholar
Zawacki, April Allison, and Hausfater, Glenn 1969 Early vegetation of the lower Illinois River Valley. Illinois State Museum Reports of Investigation 17.Google Scholar
Zook, William 1970 Fish management report, Ohio River Markland Dam Embayments, Switzerland, Ohio and Dearborncounties. Manuscript on file, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Indianapolis.Google Scholar