Impact of Oyster Overharvesting in Southwest Florida by Calusa Native Americans

Summary

Recent research has demonstrated that overharvesting of Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) by Calusa Native Americans was severe enough during the Caloosahatchee cultural period (500 BC–AD 1500) to have influenced the population demography of the shellfishery (Savarese et al., 2016). A shift to smaller individuals without a change in oyster growth rate was documented from the Late Archaic into the Caloosahatchee when Calusa population size increased considerably in the region. Modern oyster populations exhibit a return to Late Archaic size, suggesting that the Calusa did not impose a permanent genetic change on oyster capacity for growth. These patterns were displayed for two estuaries in Southwest Florida: Estero Bay and Pine Island Sound. New data from recent excavations from Mound Key, Estero Bay, further support these interpretations. 35 samples spanning ~ AD 1000–AD 1400 all exhibit similar small sizes consistent with the Late Caloosahatchee period across the broader region. Additionally, taphonomic grading (sensu Savarese et al., 2016) also demonstrates that Mound Key’s midden oysters were harvested for consumption, rather than mined strictly as building material. The relatively pristine preservation of oyster valve interior surfaces is consistent with the removal of oysters from their estuarine environment while alive and still articulated.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21216