The cave of Alepotrypa in the Peloponnese, Greece, provides an opportunity to ascertain the exploitation practices of a coastal Late/Final Neolithic community in which a combination of fishing strategies and a diversified connection to the sea were apparent.
With the advent of the Neolithic, marine‐related subsistence activities seem to be gradually restricted to the exploitation of coastal year‐round resources. Along with the harvesting of near shore coastal resources (fish and invertebrates), a more organised fishing activity that targeted pelagic species, traditionally considered migratory, is evident in several Mesolithic assemblages. Various marine animal assemblages from prehistoric contexts across the Mediterranean suggest a focus on the exploitation of marine resources by coastal populations as early as the Mesolithic. During the last few years, some fishing towns on the Cádiz coast such as Barbate, Conil, Zahara or Tarifa, have been offering very interesting tourist activities connected with the bluefin tuna fisheries: from boat tours to watch the catching of the tuna (almadraba), to gastronomic routes to discover the best tuna tapas, or museums and interpretive centres to learn more about this ancient and important activity. the heart, guts, back cheek, eye muscle or soft roe) have been rediscovered by local chefs and are being offered in the menus of the most avant-garde Spanish restaurants as luxury dishes. In addition, some tuna cuts, especially those that were traditionally discarded by restaurants and consumed by local fishermen (e.g. Traditional dishes offered in menus are, for example, tuna with onion, tuna with tomato or tuna in marinade. Some of these recipes are still followed in people's homes, as well as in many restaurants along the Cádiz coast. Bluefin tuna recipes are well documented throughout history in Spanish cookbooks. They possess special organoleptic characteristics, mostly because of their fat content that makes them suitable for a wide range of specific preparation methods: raw, grilled, cooked in sauce, cured, salted, canned, etc. Up to 24 different cuts can be obtained from a single 150–200 kg specimen. Once the prime specimens are caught they are quickly slaughtered, landed, cut and filleted (the technique is known as ronqueo, imitating the noise the knife makes when cutting the flesh) by skilled maestros (masters).
It is the oldest known industrial fishing technique and a prime example of a sustainable human activity developed to follow the annual migration cycles of bluefin tuna. The ‘modern’ catching method, the almadraba, dates back to the late 14th century, consisting of a long and labyrinthine net. As recorded by prominent Greek, Roman and Arab authors, it has played an important role in the culture and economy of Cádiz since Phoenician times, 3000 years ago. It is acknowledged that further studies with larger sample sizes would provide more precision in BFT length estimates.Ītlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) has been fished and traded since ancient times throughout the Mediterranean basin. Finally, the method was applied to a sample of Roman‐era BFT vertebrae to demonstrate its potential. Whether using rank or type, length estimates appear accurate to approximately ☑0%. At least one vertebra dimension height, width, or length correlated highly with body length when vertebrae were ranked (R2 >0.97) or identified to types (R2 >0.98). In an archaeological context, poor preservation may limit one’s ability to identify rank, hence ‘types’ of vertebrae were defined, which enable length estimates when rank cannot be determined. In modern specimens, the majority of BFT vertebrae can be differentiated by their morphological features and thus individual regression equations can be applied for each rank (position in vertebral column). skeletons were studied to provide power regression equations that estimate body length from vertebra dimensions. Despite this, there exists no reliable method to estimate the size of BFT found in archaeological sites.
One key insight derivable from these remains is body size, which can indicate past fishing abilities, the impact of fishing, and past migration behaviour. Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus BFT) is a large (up to 3.3 m in length) pelagic predator which has been exploited throughout the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean since prehistoric times, as attested by its archaeological remains.
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