| Abstract: |
There is growing evidence that patterns of marine .sheries on some Paci.c islands underwent signifcant changes over the period of human occupation. One such island is Aitutaki in the Southern Cook Islands. Over the millennia of human occupation, there were shifts in habitat use, changes in targeted prey, and the abandonment of some .shing technologies. However, the most striking trend was an apparent decline in .shing altogether. This paper brings together several lines of evidence in an effort to understand why .shing became less important on this small Polynesian almost-atoll. The possibility of over-harvesting or resource depression is considered. Resource depression could have been a factor at one mainland locality, where occupations were at least semipermanent, but was apparently not involved in declines at an offshore islet site where occupations were short term but intensive. However, .shing on the offshore islet, and deeper water .shing in general, may have been adversely affected by the loss of a key raw material traditionally used for .shhooks, namely pearlshell (Pinctada margaritifera). Further consideration of the offshore islet assemblages is assisted by mtDNA analyses, which have allowed for species level determinations within a key family, the Serranidae. Considering the suite of changes as a whole, the costs of .shing apparently increased signifcantly over the 1000-year period of occupation. What is less certain is the potential role that terrestrial components (i.e., agriculture and animal husbandry) of subsistence played in .shing declines. Stable isotope studies, now underway, may further elucidate the relationships between marine and terrestrial components of subsistence.
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