Salmon bone specimens from the Upward Sun River site in Alaska. (Photo : Ben Potter/UAF)
New research reveals that ancient Native Americans have apparently been fishing for food as a practice as early as the Ice Age.
Scientists have discovered early evidence from the Ice Age that ancient humans who once lived in North American also ate salmon which is included in their regular diet, that challenges the idea that Paleoindians during the Ice Age prefer big game when it comes to hunting.
According to anthropologist Ben Potter from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, his team had recovered ancient chum salmon bones dating vack to 11,500 years ago from the Upward Sun River site where this excavation area also revealed crucial human dwellings including ancient remains and tools.
Researchers analyzed these salmon bones and discovered that North American humans apparently consumed salmon for at least 11,500 years.
Researchers used ancient DNA to identify the fish specimens where they discovered Oncorhynchus keta or chum salmon and also utilized stable isotope analysis to determine that the salmon was anadromous or taken from the sea. Potter adds that the exploitation of salmon as early as this date is remarkable and crucial since Paleoindians are traditionally believed to be big game hunters.
This new research is also suggesting that salmon spawning runs were already a practice since the last Ice Age or Pleistocene era which is much earlier than first thought. This discovery is now crucial to the better understanding of how humans discovered and used these resources.
Native Alaskans rely on salmon as their staple food however it was challenging to gather evidence about the origins of salmon fishing since wood and rope fishing tools used by ancient humans and also salmon bones decay faster. Researchers also admit that the process of searching, examining and analyzing salmon bones was a challenge since these remnants are tiny and fragile.
This new study also sheds light on how the first North American humans managed to survive in an Arctic climate and environment, adapting to new life on new land and resources. This study also reveals how ancient human diets were apparently varied than first believed, where Ice Age humans used complex skills and strategy to search and hunt for food in a challenging environment.
This new study is published in the journal, PNAS.
