| Title | Late-Holocene Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) harvest at an Oregon coast estuary |
| Publication Type | Magazine Article |
| Year of Publication | 2004 |
| Authors | Losey, Robert. J., Sylvia B. Yamada, and L. Largaespada |
| Secondary Title | Journal of Archaeological Science |
| Volume | 31 |
| Number | no.11 |
| Pagination | p.1603-1612 |
| Date Published | 2004 |
| Call Number | OSU Libraries: Electronic Subscription |
| Keywords | archeology, Cockle clam = Clinocardium nuttallii, Dungeness crab = Metacarcinus magister (Cancer magister), human use and impacts, shellfish |
| Abstract | Coastal peoples worldwide harvested and consumed a wide variety of shellfish. Most archaeological analyses of shellfish remains tend to focus on bivalves such as clams and mussels while other shellfish such as gastropods, barnacles, and crabs have received much less attention. Here we examine the use of Dungeness crabs (Cancer magister) at a late-Holocene village on Netarts Bay, northern Oregon Coast. Ethnographic and ethnohistoric records suggest that crabs were both individually hunted as well as gathered, often en masse. We employ allometric scaling of Dungeness claws (propal fingers) recovered from several household middens to estimate crab body size and age. These data indicate that while a wide age range of crabs were collected, most harvesting efforts focused on juveniles and young adults. This suggests that most Dungeness crabs at the site were gathered (not individually hunted) in Netarts Bay, most likely in shallow subtidal areas where cockles (Clinocardium nuttalli) were also being regularly taken. As such, Dungeness crabs were part of a foraging strategy that involved the efficient mass harvest of small prey using minimal technology. [copyright] 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
| Notes | Reports on study of crab remains from Netarts Sandspit Village archeological site. Majority of remains were from juvenile Dungeness crabs. Suggest that crabs were captured subtidally while raking for cockle clams, which would account for the preponderance of juveniles. Suggest bias in archeological sampling techniques, coupled with the fragility of crustacean remains leads to underestimation of the importance of crustaceans in the diets of indigenous peoples. Illustrated. |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.jas.2004.04.002 |
| Label | 1320 |
