Work

The Very Long-term Iberian Fish Database Archaeological Fish Occurrences within the Iberian Peninsula

Year: 2026

Type: data-paper

Abstract: Humans have inhabited the sea shores and rivers of the Iberian Peninsula for thousands of years, leaving behind numerous traces and a wide variety of fish remains. These findings provide valuable data for tracking changes in fish species distributions over time as well as identifying regional variations. While a large amount of information is available for the area, most of it is scattered throughout a variety of sources. This Data Descriptor introduces the Very Long-term Iberian Fish Database (VLT_IberianFISH), a comprehensive compilation of 94,204 fish remains from 441 samples across 225 archaeological sites throughout Iberia. The identified portion of the assemblages (NISP = 81,312) comprises identifications at the species, genus, family, and order or higher taxonomic levels. Spanning approximately 90,000 years - from the Middle Palaeolithic to the 19th century - the VLT_IberianFISH Database offers a resource for a range of disciplines concerned with aquatic environments, human occupancy and resource exploitation.

Source: Scientific Data

DOI: 10.1038/s41597-026-07079-5

Authors: Sónia Gabriel, James H. Barrett, Neftalí Sillero, Rafael Sousa Santos, André Tavares

Institutions: Universidade do Porto, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Archaeology and ancient environmental studies

Subfield: Paleontology

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,490

Funders: European Commission, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme