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Paleolithic vs. Epipaleolithic fisheries in northern Iberia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Pablo Turrero ,
Alba Ardura  and
Eva García-Vázquez
Pablo Turrero*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Oviedo, C/Jesús Arias de Velasco, s/n, 33005, Oviedo, Spain
Alba Ardura
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología Funcional, Universidad de Oviedo, C/Julián Clavería s/n, 33006, Oviedo, Spain
Eva García-Vázquez
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología Funcional, Universidad de Oviedo, C/Julián Clavería s/n, 33006, Oviedo, Spain
*
* Corresponding author.E-mail address: pturrero@geol.uniovi.es (P. Turrero).
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Abstract

A comparison of Paleolithic and Epipaleolithic fisheries in NW Iberia shows an overall high trophic level of catch. Freshwater fisheries (and thus their impacts) are ca. 8000 yr older than marine fisheries and have suffered virtually no changes in the region except for the increase in numbers, being focused on two families (Salmonidae, and Anguillidae to a very minor extent). Marine fisheries in the Paleolithic likely had a low impact but rapidly increased in importance, raising the average trophic level of the catch, the number of affected taxa and the proportion of marine to freshwater fisheries with time.

Keywords

Freshwater fisheriesHuman impactMarine fisheriesNW IberiaPaleolithicTrophic level

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Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 82 , Issue 1 , July 2014 , pp. 51 - 55
Copyright
University of Washington

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