Book Authors:(J. Erlandson and R. Torben, Eds.)
Chapter Author(s): Bourque, B.J., B. Johnson, and R.S. Steneck
Pages: 165-187
Year: 2007
Abstract:
In this chapter, we present archaeological and isotope data from a coastal site in Maine that suggests localized fishing down of nearshore coastal food webs may have begun thousands of years before European colonization. Specifically, we report on changes in the relative abundance of faunal remains in the well-preserved and best-studied midden in coastal Maine, the Turner Farm site in Penobscot Bay. We also use stable nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis of prehistoric and modern bone collagen of cod, sculpin, flounder, and humans to estimate relative trophic positions of each species and the degree to which coastal, kelp-derived organic matter supported the food web. We do this to provide long-term data on the magnitude and scale (spatial and temporal) of environmental change in nearshore coastal marine settings in the western North Atlantic to better understand when the region departed from pristine conditions, so managers can set realistic goals for ecosystem restoration
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