Decreased foraging return in shellfishing? Species composition and shell size of blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) from a Late Holocene site of the South Coast of Tierra del Fuego

Abstract

This paper presents a systematic analysis of the shellfish assemblages recovered from Heshkaia 35, an archaeological site located in the southern tip of South America. Possible arguments concerning to environmental variations and resource depression are considered in an attempt to explain taxa composition and shell size. Results are also discussed in light of expectations based on optimal foraging models and taking into account other factors beyond biological parameters. Shellfishing activities were focused on small mussels, with statistical significant changes in mean shell size along the archaeological sequence of the site. Current knowledge about past variations in sea surface temperature does not seem to explain changes in shell size. Gathering of small mussels appears to be the corollary of resource depression at a local scale. This interpretation reinforces arguments that foraging decisions would have derived from territorial packing on the southeastern coast of Tierra del Fuego during the Late Holocene.