We Are All Ocean Connected: Marine resource use has influenced human population on the Central American Isthmus for millennia

Pedro González Town on Pedro González Island, an island located in Las Perlas Archipelago, Panama. Image credit: Leila Nilipour.

In a major regional review, scientists reveal the critical interplay of biological, cultural, and environmental factors in shaping past human reliance on marine resources along the Pacific coasts of the Central American Isthmus.

Dr Jonathan Cybulski, the study’s lead author, is now with the HKU School of Biological Sciences. He conducted the research during his time as a research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI).
Image credit: Leila Nilipour

It is no coincidence that most of the world's population is situated near the ocean. Coastal locations historically offer advantages for trade and access to resources. In a recent study published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B led by Dr Jonathan CYBULSKI, now with the HKU School of Biological Sciences, but conducted during his time at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), researchers explored the question: 'What role did marine resources play in human societies living on the thin strip of land connecting North and South America, the Central American Isthmus?" Their results are profound: for the over 16,000 years of human habitation of this Isthmus, regardless of climatic or ecological changes, marine resources played a consistent and important role in human livelihoods. This review, which the authors highlight was inspired by the seminal work of late STRI archaeologist Richard Cooke, aims to encourage a new generation of people interested in Isthmian research.

'Historical research of the Americas has predominantly focused on the Caribbean and the neighbouring Maya and Inca civilisations,' said Dr Cybulski, 'While the Isthmus region, specifically the Pacific coast, has remained understudied.' This review is the first of its kind for the region, and the authors attempted to merge diverse datasets, case studies, and stories that would be accessible to ecologists, archaeologists, environmental researchers, students, and beyond.

This highly collaborative study examines the long-term use of marine resources along the Central American Isthmus, particularly the Pacific coasts of Costa Rica and Panama —a region where the Pacific Ocean has played a pivotal role in cultural, ecological, and climate evolution. The authors analyse the relationship between the environment and humans between the Last Glacial Maximum (approximately 25,000 years ago) —when global climates were colder, drier, and sea levels were roughly 120 metres lower than today —to the emergence of industrial fishing in the 1950s. Their research integrates evidence from landscapes, climate, precipitation, temperature, and human subsistence patterns across this vast timeframe.

Researchers exploring Isla Bartolomé, an island located in Las Perlas Archipelago, Panama.
Image credit: Leila Nilipour

Through this review, they identify three main historical shifts in the use of resources:

1. The shift to agriculture (starting approximately 10,000 years ago): As climate and habitat change, and human hunting pressure drove prehistoric megafauna in the Americas to extinction, people had to adapt their resource use. This led to the first clear indication of human environmental impact on the Isthmus: forest management through controlled burning. The rise of crop cultivation appeared shortly thereafter, which likely encouraged a shift from nomadic lifestyles to more settled communities. Despite the ongoing climatic instability, permanent settlements thrived, especially in coastal locations, supporting growing populations. Crucially, all these communities increasingly depended on marine resources —such as catfish, mullet, and molluscs —to sustain their way of life.

2. The stabilisation of sea level (approximately 7,000 years ago): As the climate and sea level stabilised, nutrient-rich river deltas, mangroves, and dense coral reefs emerged, creating novel environments for human use. Archaeological evidence shows communities thriving along rivers, coastlines, and islands —with island populations relying heavily on reef resources like molluscs, grunts, jacks, groupers, and parrotfish.

These societies employed mixed subsistence strategies: marine harvesting, expanding agriculture (such as maise cultivation), and hunting, which may have contributed to the extinction of some smaller mammals on Isla Pedro González. Regionally, molluscs were so important at this time that they were even used as ornamentation and for trade, highlighting a deeper cultural tie to the ocean.

3. The arrival of the Spanish (1501 CE): The Spanish arrival on the Isthmus dramatically transformed both landscapes and resource use patterns. While some evidence of pre-contact overexploitation and landscape management existed, the Spanish introduced a fundamentally new approach: international trade for economic profit rather than solely for cultural or subsistence needs. As Dr Cybulski notes, 'The view of the Isthmus as an extractable resource became a global phenomenon.'

The study pieced together the interaction of humans and the ocean on the Isthmus, including the history of the pearl oyster (Pinctada mazatlanica) fishery on the Pearl Islands. For millennia, the pearl oyster was harvested by ancient inhabitants, mainly for ornaments. Post-contact, overexploitation for trade led to the collapse of the pearl oyster fishery. 

The authors conclude that a fundamental question remains: How can we create a sustainable relationship with the ocean? 'The most humbling part to me about our ocean is the massive role it plays in controlling our climate, temperature, food, and even the oxygen we breathe,' Dr Cybulski stated. 'But more than that, it is part of our human history and culture. In reality, the ocean has played a critical role in shaping what makes us human. Hopefully, this article is a powerful reminder of that and inspires needed protection and conservation for the future.'

This research was the result of a collaborative effort including STRI, the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, the Universidad Externado de Colombia, the Department of Anthropology at the University of Illinois, Chicago, the Estación Científica Coiba AIP, the Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SENACYT) and its Sistema Nacional de Investigación (SNI), and the Centro de Investigaciones Históricas, Antropológicas y Culturales – AIP in Panama.

This article is adapted from a version originally published by STRI.

The journal paper, titled 'Historical Ecology of the Southern Central American Pacific Coast', can be accessed from here.