Sustainability is presented as a relevant form of resource management that can be approached by archaeology. Using the framework of socio-ecological systems (SES), seven indicators are proposed to infer multispecies sustainable coastal SES from the zooarchaeological record. This is tested by presenting the results of chronological and faunal analyses from Punta Teatinos, a shell midden in coastal north-central Chile. Three different modes of faunal resource use are inferred and interpreted as distinct past SES through correspondence analyses. Preceramic fisher-hunter-gatherers (PFHG, ca. 6000-2500 cal BP) stand out for its littoral orientation, high diversity, and long-term stability spanning 3500 years. Ceramic fisher-hunter-gatherers (CFHG, ca. 1500-1000 cal BP) show continuities with the former mode, while their occupations became more ephemeral and their faunal exploitation turned to other habitats in an overall shift favoring inland spaces. Finally, fisher-agriculturalists (FA, ca. 1000-500 cal BP) are characterized by relatively lower richness and diversity values, and stronger reliance on key species, which are inferred as indicating exchange networks with inland sites. PFHG is the most sustainable mode in the sequence and FA the least. The use of our indicators allows a relative assessment of sustainability, offering critical insights for current sustainability challenges and socio-ecological resilience.