Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

A review of Great Basin fish biology, aboriginal fishing technologies, and archaeological evidence for the use of fish reveals that (1) only four genera of fish were significantly exploited; (2) fishing was more widespread than previously appreciated; (3) the use of fish increased substantially in late prehistory, with sometimes locally significant consequences for settlement patterns, social organization, and other behaviors; yet (4) fishing remained of limited economic importance in all but perhaps a few places.