Abstract

Growth increment analyses of clam shell from sites on the central coast of British Columbia show evidence of distinct strategies of shellfish collection between site locations. The growth increment profiles of sectioned shells suggest at least three different collection modes. These include casual use of shellfish from the immediate vicinity of smaller campsites, intensive harvest of shellfish at specialized gathering locations, and periodic forays from base camps and villages for the selective gathering of clams from multiple locations in the site vicinity. The more intensive collection strategies appear to have involved sustainable selection of older clams. Specific strategies were sustained over millennia at different site locations.