"When the Tide Is Out, the Table Is Set": Shellfish Harvesting Throughout the Holocene at Labouchere Bay, Southeast Alaska

Author

Mark R. Williams, University of New MexicoFollow

Publication Date

Spring 2022

Abstract

“When the tide is out, the table is set” is a familiar saying among Native communities on the Northwest Coast of North America. This phrase encapsulates traditional ecological knowledge passed down for generations concerning intertidal marine resources. Recent archaeological excavations of shellfish gathering camps at Labouchere Bay confirm that ancient people may have followed similar principles throughout the Holocene (c.9,500 -2,500 years ago). For millennia, shellfish have been a highly reliable food source that helped support sedentary fisher-hunter-gatherer settlements. Although shellfish habitats represent highly predictable foraging opportunities, optimal foraging strategies must be carefully managed to avoid overharvesting. Collecting just enough to meet a family’s immediate needs ensured that humans and shellfish could sustainably coexist, and awareness of nature’s cyclical timeframe minimized the potential risk of consuming deadly algal toxins. The knowledge passed down from shellfish gathering camps such as Labouchere Bay has ensured that subsequent generations survived and flourished.

Keywords

Northwest Coast, Shellfish Harvesting, Mariculture, Fisher-Hunter-Gatherer

Document Type

Thesis

Language

English

Degree Name

Anthropology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Anthropology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Emily Lena Jones

Second Committee Member

E. James Dixon

Third Committee Member

David Dinwoodie

Fourth Committee Member

William Taylor

Recommended Citation

Williams, Mark R.. ""When the Tide Is Out, the Table Is Set": Shellfish Harvesting Throughout the Holocene at Labouchere Bay, Southeast Alaska." (2022). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/anth_etds/203