Scientists now think some of the first Americans arrived by boat along the kelp-covered Pacific coast, following fish and sea resources. Research confirms Pacific coastal regions had kelp forests during the Pleistocene. This explains sites like Bluefish Caves and Monte Verde being occupied before the ice-free corridor opened.
Key facts:
- The Kelp Highway hypothesis proposes settlers used boats to hop along the kelp-covered west coast of the Americas
- They followed fish and other sea resources that use kelp as a major part of their ecosystem
- This explains how the western continent could be settled before the ice-free corridor opened in Beringia
- Sites like Bluefish Caves (Yukon) and Monte Verde (Chile) are south of expected Beringian entry points
- Research has shown Pacific coastal regions had kelp forests during the Pleistocene, providing stable resources for hunter-gatherer communities