Research

The Historical Ecology & Coastal Archaeology laboratory applies archaeology methods to understand the history of human use of coastal animals, with a particular concentration on fish, shellfish, and marine mammals along the Pacific Northwest Coast. Our research examines how these ancient archaeological records broaden our contemporary perspective on human-animal relationships, present day resource management challenges and the under-recognized legacy of Indigenous settlement, use, and care for these coastal environments.

Based at the University of Victoria, we are investigating large-scale and long-term patterns in Indigenous resource use on the Pacific Northwest Coast, including several collaborative research projects with Coastal First Nations, through the Hakai Institute, and university researchers at Simon Fraser University, UBC, and the University of Oregon and elsewhere.