Exploring Salmonid Subsistence and Traditional Fishing Practices though aDNA at Housepit 54, Bridge River, British Columbia, Canada

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Housepit 54 Project at Bridge River, British Columbia: Multidisciplinary Contributions to Household Archaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Fishing was an essential element of the subsistence regimes practiced

by Indigenous human groups of North America’s Pacific Northwest

region. This poster overviews research into the use of ancient DNA

(aDNA) to identify Pacific salmonid species pursued by occupants of

Housepit 54 at the Bridge River site, British Columbia. Samples of

archaeological fish vertebrae were selected from 8 out of 15

generational floors to gain a general understanding of the salmonid

species distribution during Bridge River 2 (1600-1300 cal. B.P.) and

Bridge River 3 (1300-1000 cal. B.P.) periods. To date, 49

archaeological fish vertebrae underwent aDNA analysis, resulting in 45

samples identified as Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and the

other four as undetermined. In addition to the presentation of

empirical results, this poster also reviews the latest methodological

advancements designed to enhance our understanding of past fishing

practices.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• The Housepit 54 Project at Bridge River, British Columbia: Multidisciplinary Contributions to Household Archaeology

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53433