Of Clams and Clovis: Isla Cedros, Baja California, Mexico

Lauriers, Matthew R. Des

doi:10.1007/978-1-4419-8219-3_7

Cited by 11 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Beyond the vast empires of Mesoamerica and the Andes, hunter‐gatherers—such as the Pre‐Hispanic inhabitants of Baja California—had significant impact on coastal and marine ecosystems centuries before written records exist (Rick & Erlandson, ). Archaeological evidence, such as large shell middens, suggests that pre‐historic human activity had significant impact on Baja California's marine ecosystems (Des Lauriers, ; Laylander, ). However, currently archaeological data are insufficient to reliably calculate human impacts on sea turtle populations in early phases of human occupation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Humans have used sea turtles for food and medicine as they first arrived in the central desert of the Baja California peninsula, in what is now Mexico, at least 12,000 years ago (Des Lauriers, ; Early Capistrán, ). In this region of arid lands and productive seas (Águila Ramírez, Casas Valdez, Ortega García, Núñez López, & Cruz Ayala, ; Álvarez‐Borrego, ), marine resources in general, and East Pacific green turtles in particular, have been essential to human survival.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reconstructing 290 years of a data‐poor fishery through ethnographic and archival research: The East Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Baja California, Mexico

et al. 2017

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Evaluating historical changes in the exploitation of marine organisms is a key challenge in fisheries ecology and marine conservation. In the Eastern Pacific, marine turtles were exploited for millennia before systematic monitoring began <50 years ago. Using ethnographic and historical data, we generated a detailed reconstruction of the East Pacific green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) fishery in Mexico's Baja California peninsula from 1700 to 1990. Sea turtles from the region's important feeding areas were a staple food source from the earliest phases of human occupation, dating back at least 12,000 years. In contrast with regions such as the Caribbean, small human populations and limited market access resulted in apparently sustainable turtle harvests until the second half of the 20th century. We found that the estimated annual catches between 1960 and 1980 exceeded the estimated annual catches of the previous 250 years by an order of magnitude, leading to the collapse of the fishery and the depletion of the green turtle population. A total ban on sea turtle captures in 1990, comprehensive nesting beach protection, and significant conservation efforts resulted in increases in breeding females on nesting beaches and catch rates in scientific monitoring on main feeding grounds since the early 2000s. This provides a positive outlook for this once‐depleted population segment. Although further research is needed to evaluate current conservation status, we have identified a date, between 1950 and 1960, which can serve as a reliable temporal reference for future evaluations of historical baseline abundance in this region.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%