Maeda (1987) considered the Susuya type pottery to be the marker of the earliest phase of the Okhotsk culture.

It is certain that the Towada phase was included in the Okhotsk culture based on the results of not only archaeological investigations but also osteological studies.

[3] The Susuya focussed on the processing of intermediate trophic-level aquatic resources, and the early Okhotsk specialised towards isotopically enriched marine products.

In the Susuya Culture household at Kafukai 2 (~100–500 CE), biomolecular evidence indicates that ceramic cooking pots were primarily used to process intermediate trophic-level anadromous resources, mixed sporadically with foods from the marine, terrestrial animal and plant food webs.

[4] By paying close attention to the species of domestic animals, more dog remains than pigs have been found in the Susuya Shell Mound and Rutaka Site.