Abstract
Brazilian shellmounds are archaeological sites with a high concentration of marine faunal remains. There are more than 2000 sites along the coast of Brazil that range in age from 8,720 to 985 cal BP. Here, we studied the ichthyoarchaeological remains (i.e., cranial/postcranial bones, otoliths, and teeth, among others) at 13 shellmounds on the southern coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, which are located in coastal landscapes, including a sandy plain with coastal lagoons, rocky islands, islets and rocky bays. We identified patterns of similarity between shellmounds based on fish diversity, the ages of the assemblages, littoral geomorphology and prehistoric fisheries. Our new radiocarbon dating, based on otolith samples, was used for fishery characterization over time. A taxonomical study of the ichthyoarchaeological remains includes a diversity of 97 marine species, representing 37% of all modern species (i.e., 265 spp.) that have been documented along the coast of Rio de Janeiro state. This high fish diversity recovered from the shellmounds is clear evidence of well-developed prehistoric fishery activity that targeted sharks, rays and finfishes in a productive area influenced by coastal marine upwelling. The presence of adult and neonate shark, especially oceanic species, is here interpreted as evidence of prehistoric fisheries capacity for exploitation and possibly overexploitation in nursery areas. Various tools and strategies were used to capture finfish in seasonal fisheries, over rocky reef bottoms and in sandy littoral environments. Massive catches of whitemouth croaker, main target dermersal species of South Atlantic coast, show evidence of a reduction in body size of approximately 28% compared with modern fisheries. Fishery activity involving vulnerable species, especially in nursery areas, could mark the beginning of fish depletion along the southeastern Brazilian coast and the collapse of natural fish populations.
Highlights
When investigating early archaeological settlements in Brazil, South America [1], the existence of an undisturbed marine fauna predating European colonization is expected
Tropical Western Atlantic prehistoric fisheries differ in terms of Holocene paleoenvironments, fish assemblages and large-scale vulnerability at the time of prehistoric fisheries along the South American coast ([1]; S1 Appendix)
We studied all the specimens deposited in the ichthyoarchaeological collection of Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (MN-UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and their use for this research was authorized by the collection managers, who are coauthors of this study (MCT and total length (TL))
Summary
When investigating early archaeological settlements in Brazil, South America [1], the existence of an undisturbed marine fauna predating European colonization is expected. Prehistoric overfishing could be associated with local environmental degradation as a consequence of human uses of the landscape affecting the marine environment, community dynamics and spatially subsidized food webs [16,17,18,19], and overexploitation based exclusively on prehistoric fisheries might not have been the exclusive cause [15,20,21]. This hypothesis was widely discussed using evidence from comparative analyses of Pacific islands and channel ecosystems under archaeological investigation [22,23]. Tropical Western Atlantic prehistoric fisheries differ in terms of Holocene paleoenvironments, fish assemblages and large-scale vulnerability at the time of prehistoric fisheries along the South American coast ([1]; S1 Appendix)
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