Human predation on pinnipeds in the Beagle Channel

Abstract

The model established for subsistence patterns of hunter-gatherer societies which inhabited the islands located southwards Tierra del Fuego argues that pinnipeds constituted the most important food resource. This general view is based on two fundamental points: (a) an increase in human carrying capacity due to energy importation produce through these marine mammals, (b) the independence of seal populations with respect to human activities, which guaranteed a sustained supply of animals to the human populations throughout the archaeological sequence. This model arises primarily from the evidence provided by the layer D of Túnel I archaeological site in the Beagle Channel, Tierra del Fuego Island. This chapter aims to make a reflection about this model. To do so, it brings together relevant information about pinnipeds representations in other archaeological sites of the Beagle Channel. In light of recent studies, it is noted that harvest strategies of seals would have been more variable than previously suggested, generating new questions about the relationship between humans and pinnipeds along occupational sequence of the Beagle Channel.