A team of researchers recently uncovered that salmon fishing in North America dates back to the end of the last ice age. The latest evidence showed that people have fished and ate salmon at least 11, 000 years ago. The recent discovery is the oldest evidence to document such activity.
Researchers dug up a cooking hearth at the Upward Sun River archaeological site located in central Alaska. Researchers discovered salmon remains that are more than 11,000 years old. The most intriguing part of the discovery is that the hearth is situated on top of a grave where two infants were believed to be buried.
This opened up the debate that the salmons were used as part of ritual which was buried deep along with its civilization. The hearth also contained remains of animals like hare and ground squirrel. The site discovered by researchers contain at least 300 bone fragments belong to salmons.
According to The New York Times, the recent discovery proves that the earliest inhabitants of North America consume salmon much earlier than originally estimated. The findings also presented possible implications that might have affected the not only the evolution but also the migration schedule of salmons.
University of Alaska Fairbanks archeologist and author of the report Carrin Halffman said in a statement, "Before this, we really had no idea that Paleo-Indians were using salmon or fish of any kind. Site had been dominated by bones of other animals."
The recent findings of Dr. Halffman were published on the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.