Gear Selectivity and Mass Harvested Minnows: Evidence from the Northern Great Basin

Summary

Madsen and Schmitt’s seminal 1998 article challenged the assumption that small animals and fish in archaeological assemblages of the Great Basin provides evidence for diminished foraging efficiency. Energetic return rates for density dependent species instead may be a function of harvesting technique. The Northern Paiute of the Great Basin exploited seasonally aggregated tui chub minnows (Gila bicolor) using gill nets, seines and scoops. This study presents a simulated mass harvesting experiment and gear selectivity curves for comparrison to prehistoric archaeological fish assemblages. Technological choices are relevant to foraging returns and can be reconstructed to provide insights on the energetics of past fishing and the ritual dimensions of equipment.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• From Dirt to Behavior: Papers in Honor of David B. Madsen

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