The relationship between subsistence resources and social organization among maritime hunter-fisher-gatherers on the Northwest Coast of North America illustrates key processes in the emergence of cultural complexity. This paper examines that relationship from two complementary theoretical perspectives within Behavioral Ecology, Optimal Foraging and Costly Signaling, using Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) whaling as an example. Each theoretical perspective is reviewed in relation to its applicability to Nuu-chah-nulth whaling, and the application of each perspective is used to examine the complex dynamic that existed between the quest for food, the establishment and maintenance of differential social position, and the organization of individuals within groups to accomplish both these aims. This multi-theoretical approach provides a broader perspective on cultural practice than is available through the consideration of one theoretical lens alone, and it provides insight into key elements of complex maritime hunter-fisher-gatherer societies.