The archaeology of fish and fishing on the central coast of California: The case for an under-exploited resource

•75,532 fish remains illustrate a 10,000-year history of fishing on the central California coast.•Nets, hooks/gorges, and watercraft were used throughout the sequence.•Very modest changes between 10,000 and 300 years ago, suggest a productive, stable resource.•No evidence for depression of the prehistoric fishery; rather epiphenomenal sustainability