Tāmure (Australasian snapper, Chrysophrys auratus) is the most commonly identified fish in pre-European Māori middens in northern New Zealand. Tāmure reproduce in open water, after which their larvae migrate to nurseries in sheltered inshore environments. The range of suitable nursery habitats in the Hauraki Gulf has declined over the last century as agriculture and industry have had an impact on the quality of inshore waters. In this study, we address the question of whether pre-European Māori activities in the coastal zone also caused a decline in the range of nursery habitats available to tāmure populations. We compare the trace element chemistry of tāmure otoliths from four Hauraki Gulf assemblages using LA-ICP-MS. The first assemblage is from an archaeological site dating to the mid-fifteenth century AD; the second is from a sixteenth–seventeenth century AD site, while the other two are from modern fish catches close to archaeological sites. We examine the portion of the otolith relating to the larval and post-larval phases. Our results demonstrate both temporal and spatial variation in otolith chemistry concentrations in the immediate post-larval phases of otolith growth. This in turn suggests changes in the geochemistry of nursery zones through time and space. This provides a potential tool for evaluating indigenous effects on inshore fisheries from midden data. It also demonstrates the value of establishing pre-industrial baseline information from the archaeological record for coastal ecology studies.

Tāmure（澳大利亚鲷鱼，Chrysophrys auratus) 是新西兰北部前欧洲毛利鱼中最常见的鱼类。Tāmure 在开阔水域繁殖，之后它们的幼虫迁移到受保护的近海环境中的托儿所。上个世纪，由于农业和工业对近海水域的质量产生了影响，豪拉基湾合适的苗圃栖息地范围有所减少。在这项研究中，我们解决了沿海地区前欧洲毛利人活动是否也导致 tāmure 种群可用的苗圃栖息地范围下降的问题。我们使用 LA-ICP-MS 比较了来自四个豪拉基湾组合的 tāmure 耳石的微量元素化学。第一个组合来自一个可追溯到公元 15 世纪中叶的考古遗址。第二个来自公元 16 至 17 世纪的遗址，而另外两个来自考古遗址附近的现代捕鱼。我们检查了与幼虫和幼虫后期相关的耳石部分。我们的结果证明了耳石生长的幼虫后期阶段耳石化学浓度的时间和空间变化。这反过来表明苗圃区的地球化学随时间和空间的变化。这为从中间数据评估本土对近海渔业的影响提供了一个潜在的工具。它还证明了从考古记录中建立工业化前基线信息对沿海生态研究的价值。我们的结果证明了耳石生长的幼虫后期阶段耳石化学浓度的时间和空间变化。这反过来表明苗圃区的地球化学随时间和空间的变化。这为从中间数据评估本土对近海渔业的影响提供了一个潜在的工具。它还证明了从考古记录中建立工业化前基线信息对沿海生态研究的价值。我们的结果证明了耳石生长的幼虫后期阶段耳石化学浓度的时间和空间变化。这反过来表明苗圃区的地球化学随时间和空间的变化。这为从中间数据评估本土对近海渔业的影响提供了一个潜在的工具。它还证明了从考古记录中建立工业化前基线信息对沿海生态研究的价值。