Comment on "Shark fisheries during the second millennium BC in Gramalote, north coast of Peru".

In reporting on prehistoric specialized shark fisheries at the Initial Period site of Gramalote (~1500-1200 cal BCE) on the north coast of Peru, Prieto suggests that substantial quantities of sharks were captured by using shell rattles to attract and fiber nooses to capture them from small reed boats. Although his research has made a significant contribution to our understanding of prehistoric fishing industries, based on data from early sites along the Andean Pacific Ocean, on past and present ecological conditions, and on ethnographic information in the study area, we believe that most sharks were caught opportunistically by netting, clubbing and/or spearing them in littoral wetlands intermittently connected to the sea by high tides and storm surges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]