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Sea of Prosperity: Foundations of the California Commercial Abalone Fishery

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Abstract

Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, the first commercial abalone fishery sprang to life along the shores of central and southern California, an industry founded and developed by pioneering Chinese immigrants. Archaeological survey and excavation projects along California’s offshore islands and historical records searches have uncovered details on how Chinese immigrants established what became a multi-million dollar commercial fishery. Here, we offer the first synthesis of archaeological and historical data of Chinese abalone fishing across California’s Channel Islands. Our results reveal details about the history and lifeways of Chinese fishermen, their business practices, and their participation in local, regional, and global economies.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Don Morris, Andy Yatsko, Steve Schwartz, Richard Krautkramer, Marla Daily, Sue Fawn Chung, Leeland Bibb, Julia Costello, Kelly Fong, Clement Lai, Dr. Ling-Chi Wang, Michael (Bucky) Buxton, Gilbert Hom, Eugene Moy, Munson Kwok, Mary Maniery, Priscilla Wegars, Sandy Lydon, Emma Louie, and Lucky Owyang for sharing their expertise on Chinese abalone fishing and 19th century Chinese immigrants. Breana Campbell, Chuck Dickerson, Stephanie Duncan, and Hannah Haas volunteered their time in the field. At Channel Islands National Park, we thank Ann Houston, Laura Kirn, and Kelly Minas for their continued support and help coordinating fieldwork on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz islands. We also thank the staff at the San Diego Archaeological Center, The Nature Conservancy, Robert Schwemmer, Jim Shuttleworth, Randy Biddle, Seth Mallios, and Chiou-Ling Yeh for their invaluable help with details large and small. Finally, thanks to two anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback and the editors and staff at the International Journal of Historical Archaeology for their help with the final editing and production of our manuscript.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, 92182-6040, USA

    Linda Bentz & Todd J. Braje

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Bentz, L., Braje, T.J. Sea of Prosperity: Foundations of the California Commercial Abalone Fishery. Int J Histor Archaeol 21, 598–622 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10761-016-0389-7

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