Journal Article

The Path towards Endangered Species: Prehistoric Fisheries in Southeastern Brazil

Aguilera Socorro, Orangel, Monteiro-Neto, Cassiano, Macario, Kita, Tubino, Rafael de Almeida, Bertucci, Thayse Cristina Pereira, Tenório, Maria Cristina, Carvalho, Carla, Tomas, Acácio Ribeiro Gomes, Souza, Rosa, Rapagnã, Luciano, Lopes, Mariana Samôr, Carrillo-Briceño, Jorge Domingo, Haimovici, Manuel, Lima, Tânia

2016

Overview

Brazilian shellmounds are archaeological sites with a high concentration of marine faunal remains. There are more than 2000 sites along the coast of Brazil that range in age from 8,720 to 985 cal BP. Here, we studied the ichthyoarchaeological remains (i.e., cranial/postcranial bones, otoliths, and teeth, among others) at 13 shellmounds on the southern coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, which are located in coastal landscapes, including a sandy plain with coastal lagoons, rocky islands, islets and rocky bays. We identified patterns of similarity between shellmounds based on fish diversity, the ages of the assemblages, littoral geomorphology and prehistoric fisheries. Our new radiocarbon dating, based on otolith samples, was used for fishery characterization over time. A taxonomical study of the ichthyoarchaeological remains includes a diversity of 97 marine species, representing 37% of all modern species (i.e., 265 spp.) that have been documented along the coast of Rio de Janeiro state. This high fish diversity recovered from the shellmounds is clear evidence of well-developed prehistoric fishery activity that targeted sharks, rays and finfishes in a productive area influenced by coastal marine upwelling. The presence of adult and neonate shark, especially oceanic species, is here interpreted as evidence of prehistoric fisheries capacity for exploitation and possibly overexploitation in nursery areas. Various tools and strategies were used to capture finfish in seasonal fisheries, over rocky reef bottoms and in sandy littoral environments. Massive catches of whitemouth croaker, main target dermersal species of South Atlantic coast, show evidence of a reduction in body size of approximately 28% compared with modern fisheries. Fishery activity involving vulnerable species, especially in nursery areas, could mark the beginning of fish depletion along the southeastern Brazilian coast and the collapse of natural fish populations.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Animals / Archaeological dating / Archaeological sites / Archaeology / Biodiversity / Biology and Life Sciences / Body size / Bones / Brazil / Calibration / Carcharhinus brevipinna / Carcharias taurus / Carcharodon carcharias / Cluster Analysis / Coastal lagoons / Coastal plains / Coasts / Commercial fishing / Earth Sciences / Endangered & extinct species / Endangered Species / Exploitation / Female / Fish / Fish populations / Fisheries / Fisheries - history / Fishes - physiology / Fishing / Geography / Geomorphology / Historic sites / History, Ancient / Human remains / Lagoons / Landscape / Littoral environments / Male / Marine / Medicine and Health Sciences / Micropogonias furnieri / Museums / Otoliths / Overexploitation / Prehistoric era / Prehistory / Radiocarbon dating / Radiometric Dating / Sharks / Social Sciences / Species diversity / Sphyrna lewini / Teeth / Threatened species / Upwelling / Wildlife conservation