Indigenous marine stewardship and season of harvest for California mussels (Mytilus californianus) along California's Lost Coast, U.S.A

Bibliographic Data

ID21263644
AuthorsJeremy D McFarland (0000-0003-1572-4637, University of Nevada, Reno, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume5
Publication date2026-06-19
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Environmental Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2813-432X • E-ISSN: 2813-432X
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fearc.2026.1771926
OpenAlexW7165359870
LanguageEN
References cited119

Archaeological data and ecological modeling indicate that Indigenous communities sustainably harvested California mussels ( Mytilus californianus ) in Northwest California over the past 2,700 years along the Lost Coast. I analyzed 9,043 fragmented mussel shells from eight archaeological sites using regression techniques to estimate total shell length and compare average sizes across 100-year intervals. Ecological simulations tested how varying harvest intensities and fallow periods affected mussel growth and biomass over 50 years, and theoretical harvesting models helped identify the frequency and intensity of past harvests. Stable isotope analysis of 40 mussel shells provided seasonal indicators of shellfish harvesting during the periods of 2710–2350 cal BP and 1920–1420 cal BP. Results show that Indigenous communities practiced selective, rotational mussel harvesting on approximately 18- to 24-month cycles, with intensities that remained below maximum sustainable yield. These harvesting strategies sustained long-term mussel bed productivity and supported increases in mussel sizes despite periods of greater harvest pressure and environmental variability. Isotopic data indicate that shellfish harvesting occurred primarily in late spring and early summer. Supporting ethnographic evidence indicates that these practices were likely embedded within marine tenure systems, including familial ownership that controlled harvesting locales and cultural protocols that restricted the timing, location, and size limits of harvests. After 700 cal BP, the establishment of permanent coastal residential areas, diversification in shellfish harvesting, and potential predator management of sea otters further enhanced mussel bed productivity, sustaining an important food source during regional climatic and environmental changes. These findings demonstrate that Indigenous communities stewarded mussel beds over millennia through adaptive harvesting strategies, rooted in place-based knowledge and marine tenure systems. Understanding these strategies provides valuable insight into both periods of past resource depression and sustainable mussel harvesting along the Pacific Coast, with important implications for contemporary conservation and fisheries policy

Animal ecology · Biomass (ecology) · Dominance (genetics) · Fishing · Mussel · Mytilus · Productivity · Shellfish · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies