One fish, two fish: Investigations of temporal size changes in the Tikopia fishbone assemblage

Abstract

With few studies of marine resource depression in the island setting, this investigation of marine resource depression in the Pacific island of Tikopia aims to contribute to better understanding the visibility of resource depression in the archaeological record, the overarching narrative of resource depression in the Pacific, and Tikopia’s own prehistory. Overall analysis of eleven major elements and seven taxa from the Tikopia fishbone assemblage does not initially seem to indicate strong evidence for marine resource depression in the prehistoric cultural phases of the island. However, further investigation of some select taxa presents interesting differences by comparison, namely Scaridae, which exhibit statistically significant temporal decreases in size. Causes of reduction in Scarus may be attributed to selective fishing pressure, or environmental changes throughout the prehistoric cultural phases of the island.