High-throughput microCT and ZooMS collagen fingerprinting of Scombrid bone from the Marquesas Islands

Collagen peptide mass fingerprinting of archaeofaunal remains, or Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS), has increasingly established itself as a valuable tool for improving our understanding of highly-fragmented faunal assemblages. Although there have been developments in sampling strategies that have attempted to reduce damage to precious archaeological specimens, these tend to yield spectra inferior in quality to those yielded by destructive approaches. Also, in an effort to mitigate the impacts on faunal assemblages, researchers are beginning to turn to microCT for the digital preservation of specimens, as this enhances their value for further studies. Here we combine ZooMS and microCT, in application to over one hundred scombrid remains from the Hanamiai site in the Marquesas, which spans the time period from initial human colonization by Polynesians at ca. AD 1250 until around 1900. Almost all of the hypurals that yielded collagen fingerprints (71 of 73) were confirmed as skipjack. The results suggest striking continuity over time in fishing practices with an inferred emphasis on fishing strategies involving sailing canoes being present from the time of initial settlement. The focus appears to be on daytime fishing for skipjack rather than on night fishing for yellowfin, kawakawa and dogtooth tuna as might otherwise have been expected.