Torben C. Rick

Jon M. Erlandson

Archaeological data now show that relatively intense human adaptations to coastal environments developed much earlier than once believed-more than 125,000 years ago. With our oceans and marine fisheries currently in a state of crisis, coastal archaeological sites contain a wealth of data that can shed light on the history of human exploitation of marine ecosystems and marine conservation principles. This groundbreaking volume, the first global survey of these topics, brings together leading researchers working in coastal areas around the world to address the links between archaeology, history, marine ecology, and fisheries management. In eleven case studies from the Americas, Pacific Islands, North Sea, the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa, they cover diverse marine ecosystems ranging from kelp forests to coral reefs and mangroves, reaching into deep history to discover how humans interacted with and impacted these aquatic environments. Utilizing a variety of multidisciplinary analyses and data sets, together they demonstrate the power of archaeology and other historical disciplines to improve our understanding of contemporary environmental problems.

A Global Perspective

Human Impacts on Ancient Marine Ecosystems

Todd J. Braje

“The bones recovered from the middens of the northeastern Pacific shorelines have important stories to tell biologists, marine mammalogists, and those concerned with marine conservation. This volume unearths a wealth of information about the historical ecology of seals, sea lions, and sea otters in the North Pacific that spans thousands of years. It provides fascinating insights into how the world once looked, and how it may one day look again as seals, sea lions, and sea otters reclaim and recolonize their former haunts.”—Andrew Trites, Director, Marine Mammal Research Unit, University of British Columbia “Braje and Rick have assembled a compelling set of case studies on the long-term and complex interactions between people, marine mammals, and environments in the Northeast Pacific. The promise of zooarchaeology as historical science is on full display, as researchers use geochemistry, aDNA, morphometrics, and traditional analytic methods to address questions of utmost importance to the long-term health of coastal ecosystems. If this book doesn't convince conservation biology about the need to take the long view of animal histories and ecosystems into account in developing conservation management plans, I'm not sure what will.”—Virginia L. Butler, Department of Anthropology, Portland State University

Torben C. Rick

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