Coastal Migration Theory for the Americas

There is no single named migration theory that exclusively states people sailed down the West Coast of North America to establish settlements. However, the Coastal Migration Hypothesis (or "Kelp Highway Hypothesis") proposes that:

• Early Americans migrated from Beringia along the Pacific coast by boat or shoreline walking ~16,000+ years ago.
• Marine resources (kelp forests, fish, shellfish) supported movement south.
• Sites like Monte Verde (Chile, 14,500 BP) and Channel Islands (California, 13,000 BP) support coastal presence before ice-free corridor opened.

This is a leading scientific hypothesis, not a formal "theory" in the strict sense, and it complements (not replaces) interior route models.