Fishing specialization and the inland trade of the Chilean jack mackerel or jurel, Trachurus murphyi, in far southern Peru

Fishing Over the Millennia

“…Whilst fish lengths prior to 1500 CE were less than those of the mid-twentieth century AD, localised fishing traditions were influenced by both cultural (technology) and environmental (tides, climate, sea level, and the behavioural ecologies of fish) phenomena. deFrance ( 2021 ) provides an insight into the coastal-inland transport of the Chilean jack mackerel or jurel ( Trachurus murphyi ) starting from the Andean Middle Horizon, AD 600–1000, through the analysis of more than 3000 of their remains from seven sites in far southern Peru. The study demonstrates that fish were largely shipped whole, whilst their recovery from a range of sites, including those inhabited by non-elite residents, indicates that they were likely consumed on an everyday basis.…”