Gutted and Salted: A Fish Bone Assemblage from John Street, Waterford, Ireland

Abstract

A post-medieval deposit consisting solely of herring (Clupea harengus) bones was excavated from John Street, Waterford, Ireland. A total of 3534 fragments were identified, deriving from at least 300 individuals. Most of the sample consisted of branchiostegal rays, fin spines and the bones of gill arches, in what appears to represent gutting waste. The sample seems to represent specialised activity, possibly relating to industrial herring processing or at least to the curing of a few barrels of herring.