Examining Impacts of Marine Foraging Strategies in Prehistoric Hawaii

Prehistoric Hawaiian populations utilized many resources to satisfy daily nutritional demands.  Fish were one of the most important sources of food for prehistoric populations throughout Hawaii.  This project focuses on an archaeological collection of fish remains recovered from the Kohala coast, located on the northern portion of the island of Hawaii.  The goal of this research project is to better understand prehistoric foraging strategies and to determine if resource depression (i.e., declines in harvested fish) occurred in prehistory.  This will be done using data obtained from the analysis and quantification of fish remains.  The distribution of species and any changes in size across time and space will be analyzed and mapped.  These results will provide insights into the dynamics of prehistoric foraging in Kohala, and allow for further assessment of settlement patterns and population growth over time.