of the Aleutian Islands. The faunal remains in SH-7 are revealing an interesting history. At the bottom of the pit, lying on the sterile sands of the beach ridge, we found the remains of 3-4 fur seal pups, and 2-3 adult female fur seals. The pups ranged in age from possibly several months old to about 1 year. Until pups are 3 months old they are unweaned and unable to swim. The youngest pups, still reliant on their mothers, would indicate the pups were born in rookeries in the Near Islands, and probably in the Semichis. The evidence so far is inconclusive but if unweaned pups are found in middens on Shemya it would indicate the earliest colonists found rookeries. Exploitation by the early human colonists may have caused the fur seals to abandon the Near Islands, and retreat to their modern rookeries on the Commanders and the Pribilofs. Another surprise from both SH-6 and SH-7 is found in the fish remains. Two analysts, Megan Partlow, of the University of Wisconsin, and Susan Crockford of Pacific Identifications are conducting detailed analyses of all fish remains from the sites on Shemya. Our samples show that about 60% of our fish were gadiformes (cod) and scorpaeniformes (rockfish). A smaller percentage are flatfish and we have one salmon and a few miscellaneous other species. Cod are the most abundant species of fish used and some of the fish from these sites are of enormous size, well over the maximum recorded for Pacific Cod, about 150 pounds. Crockford estimates the larger cod reached 200 pounds. I will leave it to others to ponder the implications this has for the effects of man on the ecosystem. Short-tailed albatrosses currently nest on only one small island belonging to Japan. The birds were driven to the brink of extinction early this century and have not recovered to anywhere near their former numbers. The bones of these birds are extremely common in Aleut sites, and biologists have speculated that they nested in the Aleutians. Remains from sites on Shemya and Agattu have been analyzed with an eye to addressing the question of the former range of these birds. One of the attractions for colonists to the western islands may have been populations of sea mammals not yet accustomed to hunters. These animals would include not
of the Aleutian Islands. The faunal remains in SH-7 are revealing an interesting history. At the bottom of the pit, lying on the sterile sands of the beach ridge, we found the remains of 3-4 fur seal pups, and 2-3 adult female fur seals. The pups ranged in age from possibly several months old to about 1 year. Until pups are 3 months old they are unweaned and unable to swim. The youngest pups, still reliant on their mothers, would indicate the pups were born in rookeries in the Near Islands, and probably in the Semichis. The evidence so far is inconclusive but if unweaned pups are found in middens on Shemya it would indicate the earliest colonists found rookeries. Exploitation by the early human colonists may have caused the fur seals to abandon the Near Islands, and retreat to their modern rookeries on the Commanders and the Pribilofs. Another surprise from both SH-6 and SH-7 is found in the fish remains. Two analysts, Megan Partlow, of the University of Wisconsin, and Susan Crockford of Pacific Identifications are conducting detailed analyses of all fish remains from the sites on Shemya. Our samples show that about 60% of our fish were gadiformes (cod) and scorpaeniformes (rockfish). A smaller percentage are flatfish and we have one salmon and a few miscellaneous other species. Cod are the most abundant species of fish used and some of the fish from these sites are of enormous size, well over the maximum recorded for Pacific Cod, about 150 pounds. Crockford estimates the larger cod reached 200 pounds. I will leave it to others to ponder the implications this has for the effects of man on the ecosystem. Short-tailed albatrosses currently nest on only one small island belonging to Japan. The birds were driven to the brink of extinction early this century and have not recovered to anywhere near their former numbers. The bones of these birds are extremely common in Aleut sites, and biologists have speculated that they nested in the Aleutians. Remains from sites on Shemya and Agattu have been analyzed with an eye to addressing the question of the former range of these birds. One of the attractions for colonists to the western islands may have been populations of sea mammals not yet accustomed to hunters. These animals would include not
Corbett,%20Debra1998%20Western%20Aleutians%20Archaeology%20and%20Paleoecology%20Project.docx