Archaeologists from the University of Victoria have used an autonomous underwater vehicle to scan the for sign of the earliest human habitation in Canada and possibly the New World. Hypothesizing that ancient peoples would have also harvested the abundant salmon in the area of Haida Gwaii Archaeologist conducted over 25 kilometers of underwater riverbed survey. They believe they may have identifies a stone fishing weir. The scan indicated a wall of large stones placed perpendicular to the steam creating a man-made channel used to corral and catch fish. “That’s pretty much the exact archetype of what we were looking for” Archaeologist Mackie said in the Calgary Herald. The team will return next summer to look for sediments to sample and for stone tools. One of the oldest sites documented on the island was dated to 13,800 years ago.
Summary from Haida Gwaii underwater expedition may have revealed earliest site of human habitation in Canada
