Seasonal Variation in Fishing Strategies at Two Iroquoian Village Sites Near Lake Simcoe,Ontario

Abstract

In this paper we present an analysis of fish bones from the Barrie and Dunsmore sites, two pre-contact Iroquoian longhouse villages located between Lake Simcoe, and Georgian Bay of Lake Huron, Ontario. We use a combination of fish biology, habitat and spawning data to interpret when and where different fish species were obtained. After identifying co-occurrences of species in major features at each site, we suggest the existence of three fisheries complexes. There is some overlap in species composition between these complexes. In an attempt to distinguish between them, we also investigate probable technique and time of capture through fish bone size distribution. We use our findings to identify inter- and intra-site differences in fish procurement.