Analysis of the Nu' aJolo Kai 1/4 Inch Fishbone Assemblage, Na Pali Coast, Kaua'i'

Abstract

Nu'aolo Kai, located along Kaua'i's Na Pali coastline, contains deep stratified archaeologicaJ deposits that span more than 700 years. This paper examines the fish faunal remains from house terrace K3 collected by Emory and Soehren between 1958 and 1964 (Soehren and Kikuchi n.d.). Building upon earlier work by Gordon (1993), I seek to determine what changes in fishing strategy and/or prey populations took place during 500 to 700 years of human occupation These data will demonstrate that the inhabitants of Nu' aJolo Kai practiced a nearshore fishing strategy that focused on reef fish. Analysis of the faunal data utilizing rank orders of abundance and fishhooks recovered from the site also suggest that there may have been an increase towards angling techniques during later periods for fishes that live on the reef margin. Comparisons are drawn between Nu' alolo Kai and other assemblages from Hawai'i and across the Pacific. The results of the analysis of the archaeological materials are discussed with the context of modern biological reef surveys by Bartram and Clark (1988) and the important role that archaeology can play in fisheries management is highlighted.