Size estimation based on Genidens barbus and Micropogonias furnieri otoliths. Exploring Late Holocene euryhaline fish capture techniques in the eastern Pampa–Patagonia transition, Argentina

Abstract

Sea catfish (Genidens barbus) and whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) were the most marine euryhaline species exploited by hunter-gatherers during the final Late Holocene along the coastal fringe of the eastern Pampa–Patagonia transition (Argentina). In the lower basin of the Colorado River, zooarchaeological evidence recovered from the San Antonio archaeological locality indicates prevalent fish consumption. However, no specific technology related to fishing has been recovered as part of the archaeological assemblages, hence strategies and techniques of fish capture remain unknown. The aim of this paper is to estimate the size of both species through archaeological otolith measurements to evaluate possible fish capture techniques. The analyzed sample is made up of 117 otoliths of whitemouth croaker and 863 of sea catfish. The estimated size of G. barbus individuals is between ca. 240 and 730 mm, which indicates the presence of juveniles and adults. In the case of M. furnieri, the estimated size range of individuals is ca. 350–750 mm, which indicates the representation of adult specimens. Based on the diversity of sizes represented in both species, their ethology, and the geomorphological characteristics of the study area, it is proposed that the fish could have been caught with either nets or bare hands through nonselective mass trapping strategies during the spring–summer season.