10,000 Years of Fishing / 10 000 ans de pêche

, Lake Champlain: An Important Fishery for the Abenaki , Native peoples have been fishing the waters of the Champlain Valley for more than 10,000 years. The first evidence of humans here dates from a time when the salty Champlain Sea connected the region to the Atlantic Ocean. The Abenaki homeland includes the Champlain Valley where they settled on river shorelines and near deltas where food was plentiful. They also ventured onto the deep waters of the Lake in canoes., Abenakis relied on Lake Champlain's fisheries for sustenance. American eels, lake sturgeon and landlocked Atlantic salmon-fish that depend on rivers that are not dammed-were especially important to these native people.Today, these species are much less plentiful than before European settlers came to the region., Historically, eels played an especially important role in sustaining Abenaki communities through the winter months, as they smoked the meat to preserve it. Since many Abenaki bands relied on cultivated crops such as corn, beans, and squash, fish remains were also used as a fertilizer, wasting as little of the animal Other fish that were not eaten immediately were smoked for later use. Today, fish caught by Abenakis are usually frozen rather than smoked., Until the early 20th century, specialized fish traps complemented pronged spears, natural-fiber nets and hooks originally made from bone. Except for a few historic cultural practices, modern-day Abenaki fishing resembles that of their European-American neighbors. Ice fishing remains a common method for harvesting fish.,