The Oldest Clear Sign of Tuna Fishing Dates Back 44,000 Years
skipjack tuna（skipjack tuna）
A tuna species that may match the oldest bones.
archaeological sites（archaeological sites）
Places where clues from people long ago are found.
Neanderthals（Neanderthals）
An ancient human relative.
What happened
Tuna is not only a modern food. People have used these ocean fish for thousands of generations. Researchers rebuilt this long relationship from fish bones, rock art, paintings, written records, and records about Indigenous communities. A team connected to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, a U.S. research museum, also drew on the knowledge of 18 researchers worldwide.
The oldest clear evidence of tuna fishing comes from East Timor, a country in Southeast Asia. It is about 44,000 years old. The bones probably belonged to skipjack tuna. Deep-water channels may have brought tuna close to shore. That may have made fishing easier. Most places show no tuna fishing evidence until about 10,000 years ago or later.
A long record of fishing
People in Japan and Korea caught tuna at least 7,000 years ago. In Greece, thousands of tuna bones were left in a cave 9,000 to 11,000 years ago. People used hooks, harpoons, traps, and nets. They also used places where fish could move close to shore.
A few tuna bones from a Neanderthal site in Gibraltar date to about 26,000 years ago. Neanderthals may have scavenged those fish. So, those bones do not prove active fishing. About 3,000 years ago, a commercial Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery formed in the Mediterranean. People may have caught tens of thousands of tons each year during the 16th and 17th centuries.
From local catches to industry
Indigenous communities on North America’s northwest coast had tuna fisheries for more than 5,000 years. During unusual warm-water events, fishers traveled into fjords at night. They used fires in canoes to draw tuna closer. They then caught the fish with harpoons. Tuna bones appear at 23 regional archaeological sites.
People also caught several tuna species in Southern California for 6,000 years. Commercial and sport fishing expanded in the 19th and 20th centuries. Canneries helped create a global tuna industry. Demand rose sharply during the two world wars.
Why the comparison matters
Tuna is a name for 15 fish species. Some can grow beyond 3 meters and live more than 40 years. Tuna are large predators in the open ocean. Millions of tons are caught today each year. The tuna industry is worth about US$40 billion annually.
The largest ancient Mediterranean fisheries probably removed only thousands of tons across many centuries. That is tiny beside today’s annual catch. The comparison shows how quickly human pressure on the ocean grew. It also shows why a longer history matters. Modern tuna studies often compare populations with records beginning around 1950.
What remains uncertain
Fish bones provide only a rough measure of old catches. Some bones never survived. Others may have been eaten somewhere else. The East Timor bones probably came from skipjack tuna, but that identification is still an interpretation. The Gibraltar bones may show scavenging, not fishing. Ancient catch totals and preindustrial tuna numbers cannot be reconstructed exactly.
Three important commercial species remain listed as endangered, vulnerable, or near threatened: southern bluefin, Pacific bluefin, and bigeye tuna.
What to watch next
Some regions have stabilized tuna populations through governance, monitoring, and catch limits. The next step is to connect archaeology and history with modern population surveys. People have used ingenuity to catch tuna for 44,000 years. The same ingenuity may help protect tuna stocks. Their numbers may never return fully to preindustrial levels, but cooperation could keep them sustainable.
Source: Phys.org report
People Have Caught Tuna for 44,000 Years
📰 Full story: The Oldest Clear Sign of Tuna Fishing Dates Back 44,000 Years
Old bones, pictures, and records show a very long human relationship with tuna.
East Timor（East Timor）
A country in Southeast Asia.
skipjack tuna（skipjack tuna）
One kind of tuna.
archaeological sites（archaeological sites）
Places where old human activity is found.
💡 The gist
- People caught tuna 44,000 years ago.
- Old bones, art, and records reveal the history.
- Modern tuna fishing is much larger than ancient fishing.
Tuna has been important to people for a very long time. Researchers studied fish bones, rock pictures, old writings, and community records. The oldest clear evidence comes from East Timor, a country in Southeast Asia. It is about 44,000 years old. The bones probably came from skipjack tuna. This is one kind of tuna.
Deep-water channels may have brought fish near the coast. That may have made fishing easier. People in Japan and Korea caught tuna at least 7,000 years ago. A cave in Greece held thousands of tuna bones from 9,000 to 11,000 years ago. These findings are archaeological sites, places where old human activity remains.
People used hooks, spears, traps, and nets. They also used places where fish came close to shore. About 3,000 years ago, a large tuna fishery began in the Mediterranean. Much later, canneries and commercial fishing made tuna a global industry.
The change in scale is important. Ancient Mediterranean fisheries probably removed only thousands of tons across many centuries. Today, people catch millions of tons each year. Fish bones help researchers estimate old fishing. However, bones can disappear. Therefore, ancient catches cannot be measured exactly.
Tuna are large ocean predators. Their numbers can also reveal changes in the sea. Three important kinds of tuna now face serious conservation concerns. Some regions have stabilized tuna numbers with rules, monitoring, and catch limits. Researchers now need to connect old evidence with modern surveys. That can help people protect tuna while still using the fish as food.
People Caught Tuna Long Ago
📰 Full story: The Oldest Clear Sign of Tuna Fishing Dates Back 44,000 Years
The oldest sure clue is 44,000 years old.
East Timor（East Timor）
A country in Southeast Asia.
skipjack tuna（skipjack tuna）
A kind of tuna.
tons（tons）
A way to count very heavy weight.
East Timor is a country in Southeast Asia. People there left very old fish bones. The bones are about 44,000 years old. Scientists think they came from skipjack tuna. Skipjack tuna is a kind of tuna. People also caught tuna in Japan and Korea. They used hooks, spears, nets, and traps. Today, people catch millions of tons every year. A ton is a way to count heavy weight. That is much more than old fishing near Greece. Tuna eat other sea animals. Their numbers can show changes in the ocean. Some tuna are now in trouble. People need rules to leave enough tuna in the sea.