Ancient Fishing Strategies for the Extinct Thicktail Chub (Gila crassicauda) in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

Abstract

ABSTRACT Now extinct, Thicktail chub (Gila crassicauda) was endemic to central California and was a key component of local fisheries before the 1800s. Little is known about their biology, behavior, ecology, or role in precontact Native American fisheries. Archaeological sites contain large numbers of thicktail chub bones and represent a key source of data to fill our considerable gap in knowledge. We developed regression equations to convert thicktail chub skeletal elements to estimates of standard length (SL). Bones from two contemporaneous precontact Late Period (ca 700 -200 cal BP) sites, CA-CCO-138, and CA-CCO-647, in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, show that precontact thicktail chub achieved a maximum standard length (SL) of 306 mm. Bone size distributions suggest spearing was the most likely capture technique, likely during a spring-summer nearshore fishery. The results contribute vital information to thicktail chub historical ecology and their key role in precontact Indigenous fisheries.