Archaeologia Islandica - 01.01.2005, Page 45

Fish Bones and Fishermen: The Potential of Zooarchaeology in the Westfjords
ture similar to what might be observed to
the otolith. By using low level
microscopy the growth rings can be
counted and an approximate age estimat-
ed (pending on the ring clarity +/- a sea-
son).
While researchers (Van Neer et
al. 2003) have cautioned over the estima-
tion of the season represented by growth
rings on certain species, the overall age
estimations in this paper are consistent
and compare favorably to the growth
rings present on codfish with known age
and season of capture.
Atlas vertebrae, with dark and
light rings, indicating winter and summer
growths respectively, can be used to
effectively reconstruct the age of the fish
(based on experimental controls of cod of
known age). The lighter, usually thicker
rings are accumulated during spring and
summer months when abundant food
supplies produce more rapid growth.
The darker and usually thinner rings are
accumulated during winter and fall sea-
sons when the food abundance is
reduced. Thus a year is represented by a
combination of a light and a dark band.
Like analyses of mammalian tooth struc-
ture (Woollett 2004a; 2004b) fish atlas
ring counting can supply both the age
and season of death of the individual.
This development provides zooarchaeol-
ogists with another tool for contributing
to a better understanding of the long term
dynamics of cod stocks before the begin-
ning of the modem fisheries records
(around 1900).
Atlas vertebrae were selected
based on their preservation and com-
pleteness. The vertebrae were then care-
fully brushed to remove dust and sand
particles without damaging the bone.
Atlas vertebrae were scanned using a
Hewlett Packard Scanjet ADF. As anteri-
or and posterior sides of atlas have the
same ring count, both sides were scanned
so that a more accurate and consistent
ring count could be obtained. After a pre-
liminary scan was performed, vertebrae
were then scanned to Adobe Photoshop
7.0 at a resolution of 600 dpi and saved
as JPEG files. Scans were then further
analyzed for the ring clarity under mag-
nifícation. Saved images were then
exported into MSPowerpoint® and ring
count performed using digital line and tic
marks. The annuli of the vertebrae were
counted from the centmm to the edge of
each specimen. A grouping of one dark
band (winter band) and one light band
(summer band) represented one year of
the fish's life. Atlas vertebrae were also
used to reconstmct the live size of fish
(Enghoff 1994).
The results for the Age recon-
straction for Akurvík and Gjögur are pre-
sented in figure 8. While this method is
still somewhat experimental and is in
need of further development, it would
appear that fisheries zooarchaeologists
will be able to provide age and season of
death information even when the fragile
otoliths usually employed by fisheries
biologists have not survived in archaeo-
logical contexts.
Discussion: Fishing Farms and Fishing
Stations
The Gjögur midden is the product of a
wide range of activities carried out year
round to provision a household as well as
to generate potential surplus product, and
the ephemeral Akurvík booths were
occupied seasonally a few months every
year by boat crews involved exclusively
in físhing and marine hunting whose
profits were consumed elsewhere. The
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