The Basic Methods of Pearl Farming: A Layman's Manual: Maria Haws

The Basic Methods of Pearl Farming:
A Laymans Manual
Maria Haws
CTSA Publication No. 127
The Basics of Pearl Farming:
A Laymans Manual
Maria Haws, Ph.D.
Director
Pearl Research and Training Program
Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Center
University of Hawaii at Hilo
Hilo, HI 96720 USA
Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture
Publication No. 127
March 2002
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
i
Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................ 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................. 3
A short history of pearl culture.................................................................................. 5
Benefits of pearl culture .............................................................................................. 7
Basic biology and ecology of pearl oysters ................................................................ 9
Overview of pearl farming ....................................................................................... 13
Determining if pearl farming is possible and will be profitable for you.............. 15
Selecting a site for a pearl oyster farm.................................................................... 21
How to setup the farm............................................................................................... 23
Preparing the pearl oysters for hanging on the farm ............................................ 29
Guidelines for keeping pearl oysters on chaplets or in containers ....................... 31
General farm management ....................................................................................... 33
Handling and transport ............................................................................................ 35
Spat collection ............................................................................................................ 39
Disease and other causes of death............................................................................ 47
Nucleus implantation (grafting) ............................................................................... 51
Harvest........................................................................................................................ 57
Half-pearl (mabe) implantation ............................................................................... 59
Selling pearls and pearl products ............................................................................ 63
Appendix .................................................................................................................... 67
Glossary ...................................................................................................................... 73
Suppliers of aquaculture and pearl farming supplies............................................ 75
Bibliography............................................................................................................... 79
ii
Basic Methods of Pearl Farming
Page 1
Acknowledgments
The assistance and knowledge of many pearl farmers, colleagues and fellow researchers is gratefully
acknowledged. Among those who selflessly contributed to this effort to provide the basic information
needed by farmers to start pearl farms and produce high quality pearls are: Jean and Estelle Tapu,
Tyrone Tapu, Ron Hall, Taruia Matara, Tarani and Piltz Napa, Soa Tini, Simon Ellis, Anne Orcutt
Bailey, Kevan Main, Ben Ponia, Miles Anderson, Quentin Fong, David Thompson, Joan Rolls, John
Rowntree, Tap Pryor, Kennedy Paynter, Francis Thibodeau, Fred Ward, Timothy Dick, Kelvin and
Anna Passfield and John Sprague. Several private companies also contributed to this effort: Tapu
Perles, Nukuoro Pearl Farm, Robert Reimers Enterprises and Black Pearls of Miconesia. Special thanks
go to my colleagues of the Coastal Resources Center of the University of Rhode Island, who provided
the moral support and flexibility to allow this manual to be written. Dr. C.L. Cheshire of the Pacific
Business Program, University of Hawaii at Manoa, kindly provided assistance with the economic as-
pects of this work. The support given by CTSA and its personnel, Dr. Cheng-Sheng Lee (Director),
Simon Ellis (Regional Aquaculture Extension Agent) and Kai Lee Awaya is greatly appreciated.
Illustrations and photographs were prepared by Diane Nakashima, Oscar Blanco and Maria Haws. The
author is particularly grateful to Diane Nakashima for her efforts with the illustrations and for prepar-
ing the cover. Cover photographs are courtesy of University of Hawaii Sea Grant.
Above all, this work was inspired by the pearl farmers of Penrhyn (Tongareva), Cook Islands, who
worked to establish pearl farms while maintaining the environmental health of their lagoon.
Funding for the printing of this publication was provided by the Center for Tropical and Subtropical
Aquaculture (CTSA) through a grant from the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Grant #98-39500-5947). This publication was pre-
pared with support from a grant from the Pacific Aquaculture Development Program, University of
Hawaii Sea Grant Program,under Institutional Grant No. NA86RG0041from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Sea Grant, Department of Commerce. UNIHI-
SEAGRANT-grant # GEN 103.
The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, CTSA, University of Hawaii Sea Grant, NOAA or any of their sub-agen-
cies.
Funding and resources were also provided by the following companies: Tapu Perles and SeaPearls.
Acknowledgments
Page 2
Page 3
Introduction
The purpose of this manual is to provide a reliable source of basic information for beginning pearl
farmers to help them successfully start farms and produce high quality pearls. The manual is formatted
so that each individual section can usually standalone and therefore if read from cover-to-cover, there
will be some repetition. As this was written and published in the United States, all references to money
are made in U.S. dollars.
Because most pearl farmers hope to avoid competition by keeping their methods secret, the pearl farm-
ing industry has traditionally been one of the most problematic of aquaculture businesses to start from
scratch. Although the basic methods are simple, beginning pearl farmers find it difficult to obtain the
technical information needed to learn how to operate a farm, thus generally spending a long period of
time experimenting. This manual describes basic methods of pearl culture that are used on small- to
medium-sized pearl farms throughout the Pacific. By using the proven methods described in this
manual, the new farmer should be able to immediately start and operate his or her pearl farm.
Introduction
Page 4
Page 5
Pearls were the first gems discovered by man thousands of years ago. Since that time, people of many
cultures have recognized the beauty and value of pearls. Pearls are the only organic gems and require
no processing to reveal their natural beauty. At first, people relied on the chance finding of natural
pearls in a variety of species of marine bivalves and freshwater mussels. Natural pearls are rare as
perhaps maybe 1 in 2,000 pearl oysters contain a natural pearl. Natural pearls are formed when the
pearl oyster reacts to an irritant by coating it with nacre, the shiny iridescent material found on the inner
surface of the shell. Natural pearls are usually small, of various colors and irregular in shape. The high
value of natural pearls led to the creation of pearl fisheries in nearly every part of the world where pearl-
producing mollusks were found. Most of these pearl fisheries were short-lived because the fishers
soon over-exploited the natural stocks.
A short history of pearl culture
Prompted by the high value and scarcity of natural
pearls, Japanese researchers developed methods that
brought pearl production under the control of humans
in the early twentieth century. These cultured pearls
are generally larger and of a more consistent size and
color than natural pearls. Producing cultured pearls
depends on a surgical procedure called grafting,
which entails surgically implanting an artificial
nucleus (shell bead) into the tissue of a pearl oyster.
The oyster then secretes nacre around the nucleus.
After several years of caring for the oysters, the cul-
tured pearls are harvested.
Several species of pearl oysters are cultivated for pearl
production. This manual focuses on the Black-Lip pearl
oyster (Pinctada margaritifera). Black-Lip pearl oys-
ters are the most common species of pearl oyster found
in the South Pacific islands (Figure 1). The Black-Lip
pearl oyster is distinguished from other species by the
dark, iridescent nacre found on the inner shell.
Pearls produced by Black-Lip pearl oysters are known
as black pearls or Tahitian black pearls (Figure 2).
Black pearls are large, usually over 7 mm (0.28 in) in
diameter and may be as large as 22 mm (0.8 in). Note:
Pearls are always measured in millimeters within the
Figure 2. Black pearls resting on the shell of a
Black-lip pearl oyster (Pinctada margaritifera).
(photograph: Maria Haws)
Figure 1. Black-Lip pearl oyster in its natural habitat,
a coral reef of the Cook Islands.
(photograph: Maria Haws).
A short history of pearl culture
Page 6
industry. The nacre and pearls of Black-Lip pearl oysters are generally black or gray with shades of
blue, green, silver and pink. Most black pearls are produced in the sheltered waters of the atolls of
French Polynesia and the Cook Islands, although Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and the Western
Pacific Islands have growing black pearl industries.
Page 7
Benefits of pearl culture
Pearl farming is an attractive business venture because of the high value of the final product. Although
black pearls vary greatly in value depending on the size and quality, large, round pearls of high quality
can sell for very high prices. For example, farm prices (2000) showed an 8-mm (0.3 in) black pearl
rated good sells for around $40 while a 12 mm (0.48 in) pearl of the same quality sells for up to $120.
In recent years, pearl prices have fallen signficantly, especially for smaller, lower-quality pearls. The
price of large and high quality pearls, however, have not declined as rapidly.
One of the principal advantages of pearl production is that the final product is lightweight and non-
perishable. Pearl oysters are most commonly found in remote tropical atolls where commercial exploi-
tation of marine resources such as fish is difficult due to the lack of refrigeration and shipping facilities.
Pearls require no refrigeration and very simple processing. Pearl farming is also a compatible occupa-
tion for people who like working on the water and have boating, diving and fishing skills. With the
exception of the grafting process, pearl farming is a relatively simple form of aquaculture because pearl
oysters do not require artificial feeds, complicated farm structures or constant attention.
If properly managed, pearl farming will not harm the environment and can increase the wild pearl
oyster population over a period of years. For these reasons, pearl culture may be the best opportunity
for business development in many isolated island areas.
Three cautions
Although pearls are a high value product, many pearl farmers fail in their attempts to make a living by
pearl farming. When considering pearl farming as an investment opportunity or as a small business,
there are three key points to remember:
1) Successful pearl farming requires a long-term investment of time, money and hard
work.
Although pearl farming is relatively simple to learn, the main reason newly established pearl farms fail
is the farmer is not prepared to invest enough time and money to take the care required to produce high
quality pearls. A period of 2-3 years is required before the first pearl harvest and most pearl farmers
will not begin to realize a profit until the second or third harvest. As a prospective farmer, you must
have enough money, time and patience to care for the farm during this time.
Benefits of pearl culture
Page 8
2) Production of high quality pearls is the key to having a profitable farm.
Only 5-10% of each crop of pearls will be of high gem quality. From these few, top quality pearls, 90%
of the farm profits will come. Pearls of average quality usually sell for only enough to recover the cost
of producing them, while lowest quality pearls will bring such low prices that money will be lost in
their production. Producing top quality pearls is achieved by taking good care of the pearl oysters
during all stages of farming and is also dependent on the skill of the grafting technician. It only takes
one mistake to ruin a potentially good pearl, so attention to detail during all stages of farming is very
important. Carefully following the instructions in this manual will improve chances of producing
enough high quality pearls from the first harvests to begin making a profit.
3) Production of high quality pearls is only possible under certain conditions.
Before starting a farm, evaluate whether you meet the following criteria:
A reliable source of pearl oysters
A suitable site
Sufficient funds to establish and operate a farm
Access to grafting technicians
Ability to market pearls
If you cannot meet these requirements, you should consider starting a different type of business rather
than risk your money starting a pearl farm that may not be successful.
Page 9
Basic biology and ecology of pearl oysters
Pearl oysters are members of the phylum Mollusca and belong to the class Bivalvia. Bivalve mollusks
are distinguished by having two shells (two valves), a soft body with a small foot, a byssal gland and
paired gills. Although the common name of pearl oyster suggests a close relationship with other
types of oysters, pearl oysters are actually a distinct genus from the edible oysters, Crassostrea and
Ostrea and have important anatomical and behavioral differences. The internal anatomy of a pearl
oyster is shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Internal anatomy of the pearl oyster (modified from George, 1978).
Pearl oysters are most
commonly found in tropi-
cal areas. The Black-Lip
pearl oyster (Pinctada
margaritifera) is widely
distributed throughout the
tropic Indo-Pacific area
(Figure 4). There are sev-
eral subspecies and strains
of P. margaritifera, in-
cluding the Hawaiian
strain, P. margaritifera
galstofii, and the closely
related P. mazatlantica,
which was considered a
strain of the Black-Lip for
many years.
Black-Lip pearl oysters are
generally found in areas
where water temperatures
range from 25 to 30C. Be-
low 23C, tropical species
of pearl oysters stop breed-
ing and may die. While
pearl oysters can tolerate a
range of salinities, they are
most common in water with
high salinities (around 33
ppt). They appear to grow
best in clear waters that are
free of large amounts of
sediment since pearl oysters
may have difficulty feeding
in turbid water.
Figure 4. Distribution of the major pearl producing species (adapted from Gervis
and Sims, 1992)
Basic biology and ecology
Page 10
Figure 5. The life cycle of the pearl oyster.
Black-Lip pearl oysters spend their adult lives attached to hard substrates by the byssal threads. Before
the pearling boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s, they were extremely common and are reported to
have thickly covered large areas of reef, including inter-tidal areas. They are now rare in many places
as a result of overfishing, and are most common at depths below 60 ft. Pearl oysters are gregarious,
meaning that they tend to be found in groups, both as juveniles and adults.
Pearl oysters are protandric hemaphrodites, which means that most are first male, then female. The
male phase usually occurs during the first 2-3 years of life, with the change to the female phase in later
years. Pearl oysters have been reported to live as long as 25 years. Pearl oysters reproduce by releasing
millions of eggs or sperm into the water column, where fertilization occurs randomly. In less than 24
hours, the fertilized egg develops into a trocophore larva, a free-swimming organism (Figure 5). The
larvae remain suspended in the water column for 2-3 weeks before undergoing metamorphosis, chang-
ing into an attached juvenile spat. Shortly before metamorphosis, the larva develops an enlarged foot
and an eye-spot. The foot remains after metamorphosis, and the young spat retains the ability to move
about for several months even after it attaches itself to a hard substrate. Pearl oysters can attach and
reattach themselves using the byssus.
Page 11
Pearl oysters feed on small algae found in the water column. The gills in bivalves are large, and tiny
hair-like cilia on the gills are used to remove small particles from the water. Both adults and larvae feed
on algae and other small organisms. Clear tropical waters contain limited amounts of algae. Therefore,
a large amount of water must be filtered daily in order for the pearl oyster to obtain sufficient food. This
is the reason that importance is placed on not crowding pearl oysters on the farm and for keeping the
shells clean of organisms that compete for food.
Basic biology and ecology
Page 12
Page 13
Overview of pearl farming
Pearl farming begins with conducting a feasibility study to determine whether the proper conditions
(financial, environmental, operational and biological) that allow pearl farming to be profitable exist for
the situation in which you wish to farm. If the results of the feasibility study are positive, a farm site
will be selected and the farm structure established. A source of pearl oysters must then be obtained. A
new stock of young pearl oysters should be added each year to the existing pearl oysters on the farm, so
Figure 6. Steps in pearl farming
Overview of pearl farming
Page 14
that new cycles of grafting and harvesting can take place regularly. After young pearl oysters have
reached about 2 years of age, they are ready for grafting, which starts the development of a cultured
pearl. After an inspection 40 days after grafting to evaluate the results, the pearl oysters are kept on the
farm for a further 12-24 months. The pearls are then harvested, and the pearl oysters that produce good
quality pearls are grafted a second time (Figure 6).
Page 15
Determining if pearl farming is possible and
will be profitable for you
Establishing and operating a pearl oyster farm requires a large investment of time and money over a
period of several years. Additionally, the correct biological conditions must be present to allow pearl
oysters to grow well and produce high quality pearls. By conducting a feasibility study before starting
a farm, you can determine how much it will cost to operate a farm and if the right conditions for
growing pearl oysters are available. You can also roughly calculate how much you can expect to earn
from pearl farming. The following is a list of factors that must be contemplated before investing in a
pearl farm:
Costs of starting and operating a farm
Starting a pearl farm and keeping it operating for a long enough period to obtain a steady return may
take as long as 4-5 years. Obtaining spat, growing them out to grafting size, grafting and culturing until
the first harvest is a lengthy process. It must also be recognized that even with a good first harvest, the
original investment may not be entirely returned. This may not occur until the second or third harvest.
The major types of expenses of starting and operating a farm are listed below and also in Appendix A.
Major Costs
Determining if pearl farming is possible and will be profitable
Cost of obtaining pearl oysters by one of three methods: Spat collection, purchase of
hatchery-produced spat or collection of adults from the wild.
Equipment and supplies (see list at the end of the manual)
Shipping costs for equipment and supplies and import taxes
Farm structure (lines, rafts, underwater trestles, floats)
Farm platform
Boats
SCUBA gear
Labor
Utilities (e.g. electricity, water) and communications (e.g. telephone or radio)
Gas and oil for boats or vehicles
Replacement costs for equipment and supplies
Page 16
Licenses or permits
Fees for grafting technician
Marketing expenses
Transportation
Consulting fees for technical advisors
It is difficult to present information here that specifies exactly how much will be necessary to invest in
a farm, since this will vary widely according to local prices and the characteristics of each farm. Some
of the major factors that influence costs are discussed below. In the Appendix, simplified budgets are
presented for two sizes of farm: a small farm where 3,000 pearl oysters are grafted every 18 months and
a medium size farm where 6,000 pearl oysters are grafted during every production cycle. While most
farms will have the same sorts of expenses, each farmer must collect information on what the real costs
will be in his or her location and use these to decide whether pearl farming is feasible.
1. Farm size
In general, 3,000 pearl oysters is the minimum number needed for a profitable farm because there are
certain fixed costs that will be too high if fewer pearl oysters are available for cultivation. Fixed costs
are those which do not change regardless of farm size. For example, it is not profitable to hire a grafting
technician unless you have at least 3,000 pearl shells of the right size and condition to graft. The major
expense of hiring a grafting technician is paying for his transportation, lodging and food. These costs
change little whether 3,000 or 300 pearl oysters are grafted. The cost of a boat is another fixed cost,
which will vary little unless the farm is so large that two or more boats are required to service the farm.
The example presented in Appendix 1 shows that with a farm of this size, about $9,000 will be recov-
ered over the amount of the expenses required to operate a farm for 18 months. There will be an
additional start-up cost of approximately $17,000 which means that it will take at least two production
cycles to recover these expenses. Only on the third crop (after about 4 years) will the farmer have
recovered all costs and start to make a modest profit.
Farm size does influence certain costs. For example, in order to maintain a pool of 3,000 pearl oysters
of suitable size and condition to graft every 18 months, the total farm size would typically need to have
12,000-15,000 pearl oysters in various stages of culture (spat, grafting size, grafted). The size of the
farm will also determine the quantity of materials such as lines and floats needed, and the labor costs of
maintaining the farm. The example in the Appendix shows that within a certain size range, larger
farms are more profitable since start up costs and operation costs do not increase in proportion with
farm size. That is, a farm can double in size from 3,000 to 6,000 pearl oysters grafted, thus doubling
revenues, without having costs double.
One way to overcome some of the limitations and high costs of operating a small pearl farm is for
neighboring farmers to cooperate on some tasks such as hiring technicians or monthly cleaning. Pur-
chasing equipment and supplies together may also allow farmers to obtain better prices.
Page 17
2. Labor
Pearl farming is fairly labor intensive and labor requirements vary depending on which tasks are being
performed. As a pearl farmer with 3,000 grafting-sized pearl oysters and several spat collector lines,
you will have to work about half-time on the farm yourself and also hire one or two part-time assistants.
Because it takes a minimum of 2-3 years to reach the first harvest from the time the farm starts operat-
ing, you must have other means to support yourself until the first harvest, as well as sufficient funds to
hire some workers. Labor costs will also depend on whether this is a part-time occupation where a
family works without wages or whether laborers must be hired. Again, as can be seen from the ex-
amples in the Appendix, within a certain range of farm sizes, larger farms can be operated with little
additional costs. For example, two people can tend 6,000 pearl oysters with a small amount of addi-
tional time each week so that labor costs do not double with farm size.
3. Equipment, supplies and facilities
The cost of equipment will be determined by the size of the farm and by the type of facilities already
available in your location. In some cases, individuals may have most of the resources needed already,
for example, a boat and outboard motors. Often farmers can benefit by sharing certain equipment or
facilities such as SCUBA compressors or grafting platforms. You must plan on the expense of regu-
larly replacing and maintaining equipment and facilities.
4. Location
The requirements for a good site are discussed later in this manual. Remember that the further the pearl
farm is from your house or boat dock, the more it costs to buy gas to reach it. You may also suffer more
losses due to theft if the site is far from your house. The amount of ropes, floats and anchors will vary
according to the type of site chosen and the culture method. Gas to get to the farm tends to be a highly
variable expense and when using the model budgets in the Appendix, you will need to carefully calcu-
late what your particular expenses will be.
5. Spat source
Since spat collection is the main source of young pearl oysters, you must decide how many spat collec-
tors you want to use on a regular basis and the cost for collector materials, lines and gas to service the
lines. If spat are purchased from a hatchery or from someone who collects spat, this cost must be taken
into consideration. Whichever method is used to obtain spat, the cost of raising them to grafting size
must also be calculated. The smaller the spat collected or purchased, the higher the cost of caring for
them until they reach grafting size. If adult pearl oysters are collected and used, transportation and
diving costs will be incurred.
Page 18
How much can you expect to earn from a pearl harvest?
The Appendix contains examples of budgets for small and medium size pearl farms that will provide
a beginning farmer with a model to use to estimate how much it will cost to start and operate a pearl
farm and approximately how much profit he or she can expect to make. These are simplified examples
and must be adapted to the specific costs and prices of each individual (see the Appendix).
The amount of money you can expect to earn depends on the number and quality of
pearls harvested.
In cases where the grafting technician is good, and good farming practices are used, it is generally
expected that marketable pearls will be obtained from at least 45% of the pearl oysters that have re-
tained the nucleus 1 month after grafting has taken place. The remaining 55% may be of such poor
quality that they cannot be sold. For example, if a good technician grafted 3,000 pearl oysters, about
20% would die or reject the nucleus within 30 days. Between further losses during the cultivation
period and the number of poor quality pearls harvested, the resulting 45% saleable pearls would be
1,350. It is not possible to calculate exactly how much these 1,350 pearls will be worth, since pearl
prices fluctuate, and because each harvest contains a widely varied assortment of pearl types, sizes and
qualities. However, as a general rule, the average farm price of a pearl is around $35. At this price, the
1,350 pearls could be sold for about $48,000 (gross revenue). A small amount of this revenue would
also be gained from the keshi pearls harvested at this time.
5. Grafting
Hiring a grafting technician is one of the major expenses for any farm. A technician will usually charge
$3-$4 per pearl oyster seeded, or will take part of the harvest as a share. The additional expense of his
or her transportation, lodging and meals will vary depending on where your farm is located.
6. Marketing expenses
Pearl farming does not end with the harvest. Pearls must still be sold in order to make a profit. Selling
pearls can be a lengthy, complicated process requiring local and foreign travel, communications and
presentation costs. Start making marketing contacts well before the harvest, and budget for the ex-
penses incurred to find a buyer willing to purchase your pearls for a reasonable price.
7. Miscellaneous expenses
You should also account for having to pay miscellaneous expenses, such as repairs, communication
costs, permit fees, taxes, etc.
Page 19
The profit margin on pearls is relatively low.
To estimate how much of the $48,000 will be profit, the estimated costs are subtracted from the ex-
pected gross profit. With the exception of the very largest, highest quality pearls, you can expect that
from the average pearl, which sells for $35, the profit will be approximately $7 per pearl since the cost
to produce a pearl is about $28 ($38,713 costs, 1,350 pearls). Using the earlier example, 1,350 pearls
bringing a profit of $7 each would result in a total profit of $9,000. This is relatively low for 2-3 years
of hard work, particularly when considering that the startup costs must also be recovered. Note that in
the model budget for a medium size pearl farm of 6,000 pearl oysters grafted, while the average price
per pearl is the same, the cost to produce each pearl is lower, at about $20 per pearl. This results in each
pearl yielding a profit of $14, about double that of the profit from pearls produced on the small farm.
This slender profit margin is the reason that great emphasis is put on producing high quality pearls,
since only these pearls sell for a high profit. As can be seen, the average pearl brings very little profit.
It is the rare, exceptionally high-quality pearls that produce most of the profit for a farmer. This ex-
ample considers only the pearls produced the first time a pearl oyster is grafted. As will be discussed
later, the pearls produced the second time a pearl oyster is grafted are larger and generally of higher
quality and contribute significantly to farm revenues over time.
There may be more profitable ways to invest your money and time.
As demonstrated above, pearl farming can be profitable, but the profits realized are usually not as great
as expected. Additionally, to reach even this level of profit requires the ability to maintain the right
conditions to grow pearl oysters by using good farming practices. To decide whether pearl farming is
the best way to spend your time and money, it is helpful to compare the expected return from pearl
farming with that of other investments and activities.
Consider whether you would earn more money if you invested the same amount of time and labor into
other activities as you will have to in order to maintain your pearl farm. This is called the opportunity
cost. It is also important to compare the amount of money you would earn if you invested your money
in some other type of investment (return on investment). For example, if instead of investing $10,000
in a pearl farm, you kept this money in the bank for 5 years, with a 5% return provided by a traditional
bank, this investment would then be worth approximately $12,760. Will the pearl farm give you a
higher return on your money? Will the return justify the increased risk associated with pearl farming as
compared to keeping it safely in a bank? If you had to borrow the money to make the original invest-
ment, you will have to pay that back with the income generated, decreasing your net income even more.
Comparing the financial advantages and disadvantages of investing your time and money in pearl
farming will help you to make an objective decision about whether pearl farming is the right choice for
you.
Page 20
Page 21
Selecting a site for a pearl oyster farm
Selecting a good farm site is an important first step towards producing good pearls.
Where the farm is located can determine whether the operation is biologically and economically fea-
sible. The site affects how well pearl oysters grow, the quality of the pearls, how safe the farm is from
theft or vandalism and how much it costs to operate the farm. Choosing an appropriate site from the
beginning is also important because it is difficult to move a farm once it is established.
What to look for when choosing a farm site
The presence of pearl oysters
The presence of adult pearl oysters or spat indicates that the environment is a good one for pearl
oysters. However, do not eliminate a location because of its lack of oysters, in some areas, no pearl
oysters will be found because they have been removed, or are naturally rare, but these areas can still be
good farm sites if they have the characteristics mentioned below.
Good water quality
Pearl oysters prefer clean, clear water far away from sources of contamination such as chemicals, oil,
sewage or other pollution. Areas near large villages or towns will usually have some pollution, so
farms should be located as far away as possible, or up-current from the source of pollution. Do not
locate your farm near the mouth of a river or other sources of freshwater since sudden changes in
salinity can be harmful. Areas with rough water where sand and silt are stirred up should also be
avoided since pearl oysters have trouble feeding in cloudy water. A general rule is that a site with
thriving corals will be a good site for pearl oysters.
A depth of 75-120 ft (22-36 m) and away from reef areas
If the farm is located in an area shallower than 75 ft (22 m), there will not be room to hang farm lines.
Locating a farm within 75 ft (22 m) of reef areas may also result in predation by mollusk-eating fishes,
rays and octopi that find shelter in the reef. A maximum depth of 120 ft (36 m) is suggested since
diving to greater depths is dangerous. Setting secure anchor lines is easiest when the diver can tie off
the anchor line to rocky areas on the bottom, which cannot be safely done in depths over 120 ft (36 m).
Also, when seeded pearl oysters are dropped or fall off the line, they must be retrieved, a dangerous or
impossible task in a very deep area.
Selecting a site
Page 22
A slight water current
A current is beneficial, since water exchange provides a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients to the
pearl oysters. Water exchange also helps prevent a build-up of waste products beneath the farm that
could cause problems with water quality. It is important to observe both surface and bottom currents at
a site, since in some areas the surface current may appear to be adequate, but the bottom current may be
much less. Waste products can then accumulate underneath the farm. Areas with fast currents or rough
water, however, are difficult to work in and possibly harmful to the pearl oysters. Therefore, only slight
currents are tolerable. Areas with stagnant water or rotting seaweed present are also not good sites.
A site that can be watched and protected
Pearl oysters are valuable and theft is common. Locating the farm within sight of your house will help
prevent this. Additionally, boats or fishing activity can damage lines, so look for areas with little traffic
or activity. By avoiding conflicts with other users of the area, your farm will be safer from damage and
theft.
A site where the farm lines or other farm structures can be securely anchored.
There are two ways to secure the main line and anchor lines. One way is to tie them to rocks or coral
heads that occur naturally on the farm site; the other is to use artificial anchors like concrete blocks or
sand screws. However, tying off the lines to rocky areas is by far the easier and more secure method.
A healthy reef
It is important to maintain the condition of coral reef areas. Pearl oysters grow best when their environ-
ment is healthy. Therefore, take care not to break or damage corals when setting up the farm the
health of your farm depends on the health of the reef.
Although it is usually most convenient to tie main lines and anchor lines to rock or coral areas, avoid
disturbing corals if possible. Never tie lines onto large, protruding coral heads. Coral heads make poor
anchoring points since they are fragile and break easily. Pick areas where the lines can be tied to the
solid base of the reef structure and where little coral will be broken. Coral will rapidly grow around the
ends of the lines tied to it and over racks anchored on the bottom. Bare, rocky areas with minimal coral
cover are the best spots on which to tie lines.
Also take care not to break the coral by standing on it, by allowing farm lines to drop over the reef, or
anchoring boats to coral areas. Establish a mooring buoy near your farm instead of anchoring directly
on the coral, or tie the boat to the farm line itself.
Page 23
How to setup the farm
Pearl farms require only very simple structures, the main purpose of which is to provide some means of
holding pearl oysters off the bottom. There are three basic types of farm structures: Tahitian longlines
(so-called because they are the most common method used in Tahiti), rafts and underwater trestles.
You can also use some combination of these, depending on your needs and location.
1. The Tahitian Longline Method
A Tahitian longline is simply a length of strong line (main line) held in place by anchor lines and kept
afloat by buoys. Proper placement of the anchors and buoys keeps the longline at the correct depth (See
Figure 7 - longline illustration). The longline can be used to hang chaplets, pocket panels, lantern
baskets or spat collectors.
Figure 7. Tahitian long line. A mainline is hung from a series of anchor lines kept suspended by floats interspersed
along the line. Longlines can be used to hang chaplets, spat collectors or pocket panels. Modified from Gervis and
Sims (1992).
This method is favored because the entire farm structure is below water so the farm is hidden and
protected from damage from rough weather and boats. Additionally, material costs are low and should
the need arise, the lines can be moved more easily than with other types of farm structures. One
disadvantage to the longline method is the need to dive to work on the farm.
Since the longline method is the most commonly used in the Pacific, only this method will be described
in detail. It takes two people working underwater and at least one person in a boat to establish a
Page 24
longline. The line used for the main line should be a minimum of -in (18-mm) polypropylene or
nylon line.
To start, a diver ties one end of the main line to a coral or rock pinnacle or other anchoring point no
deeper than 9 ft (3 m). Be sure the knot used to tie the main line to the anchoring point is very strong.
It is wise to anchor the main line at multiple end points since occasionally the main line may fray where
it is attached to the coral or rock pinnacle. Then play out the line in the direction of the next anchoring
point. Continue until the end of the main line is reached. When tying the line at the last anchor point,
it is important to pull the line as tightly as possible before knotting it securely around the anchor point.
Usually two people are needed to do this; one person pulls the line as hard as they can and holds it,
while the second person ties the knot. You can also use a boat to pull lines tight.
Once the main line is securely attached at both ends, begin to attach the anchor lines at 66-ft (20-m)
intervals. Use at least -in (12-mm) polyethylene or nylon rope for the anchor lines. Loop the anchor
line over the main line and secure it, using a knot that holds firmly but can be untied easily, since the
final adjustments to the anchor lines will be made later. Leave plenty of extra line for making adjust-
ments and tying knots. Tie a weight to the free end of the rope and then drop it straight down. This
keeps the anchor line positioned vertically below the main line. When you feel that the weight has hit
bottom, one diver follows it down and ties the end of the rope to the bottom. Be sure and tie the rope to
a secure point. Divers can take turns doing the deep dives as this makes it safer because of the number
of deep dives required. Depending on the current and location of the line, you may have to add some
anchor lines tied at angles to the main line to keep it from drifting to one side.
In many cases, you may not be able to use coral heads or rocky pinnacles as anchor points, but will have
to use weights as anchors instead. More care is needed in this case, as it is important that several
sufficiently heavy weights be used at each end and for each anchor line. The end anchor point should
have one anchor line tied directly under the main line, and three additional weighted lines tied at angles
to the main line. When using weighted anchors, be sure that each anchor weighs at least 75 lb (34 kg).
You may need to add more anchor weights, depending on how rough the water is. For several months,
before adding the pearl oysters check the lines weekly to be sure that the anchors are not shifting and
allowing the line to move.
Once all the anchor lines are in place, attach one float directly over each anchor line. Use a slipknot,
which can be easily untied later but is strong enough to hold the float in place. Once all the floats are
attached, go back along the line and begin to pull the main line down to the correct depth by pulling
down the anchor lines. The main line should be about 13-16 ft (4-5 m) deep, so when the chaplets are
tied on, they will hang at a depth of 19-23 ft (6-7 m). When you have finished doing this, swim back
along the line and check the depth at each anchor point. You may have to adjust some of the anchor
lines and floats because the line tends to stretch and the weight of the pearl oysters may cause the line
to sag. Recheck the depth of the line every week or so; you may have to retie some of the anchor lines
or add more floats as the lines stretch.
Page 25
A word about dive safety and pearl farming
The most hazardous part of pearl farming is the frequent need to make multiple deep dives. Most of the
diving done on a pearl farm, especially when setting up the farm, are bounce dives. Bounce dives are
those dives where a diver descends and then immediately ascends, for example, when tying an anchor
line to the bottom of the lagoon. Bounce dives can easily lead to decompression syndrome (DCS, also
known as the bends) because the diver has a tendency to ascend rapidly and to make several of these
types of dives in rapid succession without taking sufficient time at the surface (surface interval) to
release nitrogen from his or her body.
Avoid DCS by following these guidelines:
Take a SCUBA certification course and follow all dive safety rules.
Use dive gear that is regularly inspected and certified as safe.
Avoid areas and farm set-ups that require diving to depths over
100 ft (30 m).
In deep areas, use weights to sink and anchor lines rather than
diving to dangerous depths (over 120 ft or 36 m) to tie the ends of
the anchor lines to the substrate.
Avoid multiple deep dives, especially to depths over 60 ft.
Use a dive computer or a dive table and watch to time your dives
and keep within no-decompression limits.
Always ascend more slowly than the slowest bubble that is released
when you exhale and hold on to the anchor line on the way up to
slow your rate of ascent.
Take extra long surface intervals between bounce dives.
Always dive with a buddy and take turns making deep dives.
Alcohol or drugs, and diving are a dangerous combination. Never
dive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or while suffering
from a hangover.
To avoid dehydration, which may contribute to DCS, drink water
regularly while working.
Page 26
Maintain the main line at the correct depth.
When pearl oysters are hung on the main line, the added weight will cause the line to sag between the
points where the floats are attached. The entire line may also sink. Therefore, you should be prepared
to check the depth of the entire line every week or so. Add more floats to points where the lines sag,
and add enough floats to keep the line at a depth of 13-16 ft (4-5 m). Keeping the pearl oysters clean
will also help reduce the weight on the line. Once the pearl oysters and line become fouled, the line
may sink out of sight in just a few days. And a line is very difficult to raise to the surface after it has
sunk.
2. Floating rafts.
Floating rafts can be used as bases to hang pearl oysters. Rafts are commonly used in Japan and
Indonesia in protected areas and bays. Usually the raft is constructed from lightweight timber or bam-
boo. The floats can be made from large drums sealed with fiberglass or commercial floats (Figure 8-
diagram of raft).
Figure 8. Rafts can be used in calm waters to hang a variety of pearl oyster containers. Modified from Gervis and Sims
(1992) by Nakashima.
One advantage to this method is that it provides a stable work platform and little diving is needed to
tend to the pearl oysters. Floating rafts can only be used in very calm, protected waters and in cases
where theft can be prevented. The materials may be expensive, so they should be carefully chosen for
the length of their lifetime in seawater. Careful attention must be given to the anchoring to ensure the
raft does not break free.
Page 27
3. Underwater trestles.
Underwater trestles can be built from timber, PVC pipes or steel reinforcing bar. Low trestles are used
as a base for trays or cages made out of vinyl-coated wire mesh. Higher trestles can be used to hang
chaplets or lantern baskets. Underwater trestles can be used to culture adult oysters or juveniles, de-
pending on which type of container you wish to use (Figure 9-underwater trestle with hanging contain-
ers).
Figure 9. Underwater trestles are useful in shallow areas and may be used to support trays, chaplets and other
containers. It is important to use materials that are resistant to corrosion. Modified from Gervis and Sims (1992) by
Nakashima.
Trestles can be good systems for growing spat if properly constructed, but are expensive to build and
maintain. They are best used in fairly shallow water, since diving will be required to tend the pearl
oysters. Predation by fishes and carnivorous snails is often a problem. You should check the trays
weekly for predators such as snails and crabs, which should be removed and killed.
Page 28
Page 29
Preparing the pearl oysters for hanging on the
farm
There are many ways to hold adult pearl oysters including chap-
lets, lantern baskets, pocket nets and floating or submerged trays
(see Figure 11 - different ways of holding pearl oysters-chaplets,
lantern baskets, pocket panels). You must decide which method
is best for your location and budget. Chaplets are the easiest and
least expensive method, and can be made from line that is easily
obtainable. The various containers (lantern baskets, pocket pan-
els or trays) are particularly useful in protecting smaller pearl
oysters or spat from predators, but are more expensive and must
either be purchased or manufactured using special materials.
Figure 11. A variety of
containers are commonly used
to hold adult pearl oysters or
larger spat. Gervis and Sims
(1992). The most commonly
used type is a pocket panel that
holds 10 or 20 pearl osyters.
Whichever method you choose to use, be sure that you carefully
clean the pearl oysters each time you move them or transfer them
into new containers. Proper spacing of pearl oysters is impor-
tant as crowding can lead to stress and disease. Pearl oysters are
powerful filter feeders and will filter a large amount of water
each day to obtain enough algae to keep themselves fed. If too
many adult pearl oysters are crowded together, they may not be
able to obtain enough food from the surrounding water to keep
them healthy. Figure 10. Oysters hanging from chaplets.
Preparing the pearl oysters for hanging on the farm
Page 30
Page 31
Guidelines for keeping pearl oysters on
chaplets or in containers
For chaplets:
Hang only 10-15 pearl oysters on each chaplet, spacing them about 9 in (20 cm) apart on the chaplet.
Although it is common to hang 20 or more pearl oysters on a single chaplet, this makes the chaplet
longer, heavier and harder to handle. It may also lead to crowding on the farm, resulting in disease or
reduced pearl quality. When tying the chaplets on the main line, leave at least 38 in (1 m) of space
between the chaplets. Main lines should be spaced at least 66 ft (20 m) apart on a farm. This spacing
helps to keep the chaplets and lines from getting tangled and prevents crowding.
If uing chaplets, you must first clean and then drill the pearl oysters. Use a 1/8-in drill bit to drill a hole
near the pointed edge of the shell (the ear) towards the back of the shell. Figure 12 shows an external
view of a pearl oyster indicating the spot for drilling. Be careful not to drill into the meat of the animal.
Use a length of 18-gauge stainless steel wire to attach the pearl oyster to the chaplet or 80-lb monofila-
ment (nylon fishing line). When drilling many pearl oysters, it is easiest to mount the drill solidly on a
Figure 12. Pearl oysters should be
drilled in the ear, the corner of the
shell opposite the byssal notch taking
care not to drill through the internal
tissues. Then the pearl oyster can be
attached to the chaplet line using either
stainless steel wire or monofilament
(fishing line).
table rather than holding it in your hand.
Farms where there is no electricity commonly
use 12-volt drills powered by car batteries.
Chaplets and the lengths of stainless steel
wires can be reused many times.
Guidelines for keeping pearl oysters on chaplets or in containers
Page 32
One problem that may be encountered when using chaplets is that the monofilament line or stainless
steel wire used to attach the pearl oysters to the chaplets may break. If this happens, it is usually an
indication that heavier line or wire is needed. Also, it may be a sign that the lines are experiencing too
much motion due to wind or rough water. Sinking the lines a bit deeper or choosing a calmer area for
the farm may help solve this problem.
For panels, trays and lantern baskets:
When using containers of any type, it is important to prevent crowding. Adult oysters should not touch
each other when kept in containers. Try to leave a space of at least 4 in (10 cm) around each pearl
oyster. Fast-growing pearl oysters have shell edges with many small, flattened spines giving it a frilly
appearance. If your pearl oysters do not look like this, they are not growing quickly and you should try
giving them more space.
If using panels, trays or lantern baskets, clean the pearl oysters first. Soak the new panels, trays or
lantern baskets in salt water for 1 week before using, helping to remove any possible contamination
from the equipment. Pocket panels are most commonly used for adult pearl oysters and usually hold 6
to 18 animals. One difficulty with panels is that they tend to foul rapidly and frequent cleaning is
needed. It is helpful to transfer pearl oysters into new panels at each periodic cleaning, then mend the
old panels and let them dry until needed again. Mending and drying of the panels can then be done
during leisure hours and the pearl oysters can be returned to the water immediately. A helpful hint
when using pocket panels is to insert the pearl oysters into the panels with the byssal notch facing
outwards (towards the frame). The pearl oysters will commonly attach themselves to the mesh of the
panel and it is easiest to cut them free if the attachment is on the outer edge of the panel.
With very small pearl oysters (less than 4 in or 10 cm in length), it may be necessary to tie the opening
of the pockets closed with a piece of line to keep them from being dislodged in rough weather.
Lantern baskets are best used for spat, since they are too cumbersome to work with when adult pearl
oysters are kept in them. Lantern baskets must be kept clean and inspected frequently for predators.
Trays can be used for either adults or spat, but offer the disadvantage of providing little protection
unless covered. As with lantern baskets, they must be cleaned and inspected frequently.
Page 33
General farm management
Tending the farm is an important part of producing good pearls. Growing pearl oysters is the same as
growing any crop; the farm must be tended often for the pearl oysters to grow well and produce high
quality pearls. The following are the most important farm management activities:
Visit the farm at least every 2 days to inspect it for any maintenance needs.
When visiting the farm, look for damaged or missing lines and floats. Be sure the depth of the line is
16-19 ft (5-6 m). If needed, adjust the depth of the line by adding floats or tightening the anchor lines.
Make sure none of the pearl oysters have fallen off or been stolen. Count how many pearl oysters have
died and keep a record of this. Frequent visits will also allow you to judge when the pearl oysters need
to be cleaned.
Clean the pearl oysters and lines monthly.
Pearl oysters must be cleaned of the fouling organisms that grow on their shells. If left for long periods,
these organisms can bore through the shell or compete with the pearl oysters for food. Some types of
fouling organisms can grow between the shells and prevent the pearl oyster from closing completely.
Fouling on the lines and pearl oysters can cause the line to sink under the increased weight. Frequent
cleaning will make the job easier by removing the fouling organisms while they are still small and
easily removed.
Cleaning can be done by gently cutting off the fouling organisms with a knife or a steel-wire brush.
Mechanized cleaning machines that use high power jets to remove fouling are available. Another
alternative is to use a high-pressure hydraulic sprayer designed for use with seawater.
It is important to understand that cleaning is stressful for the pearl oysters, and if done too roughly or
too frequently, could lead to poor quality pearls. Pearl oysters should not be cleaned more often than
once a month, because they need time to recover from the stress. It is usually not necessary to clean
them more frequently than this at any rate. The farmer must strike a balance between keeping the pearl
oysters sufficiently clean, not over-stressing the animal and wasting valuable time.
There may be certain areas within a lagoon where farming occurs more rapidly than in others. If you
experience very heavy fouling or fouling by particularly damaging organisms such as the boring sponge,
you might want to consider moving the farm.
General farm management
Page 34
Always handle the pearl oysters gently during cleaning.
Avoid keeping pearl oysters out of the water for more than 20 minutes or so. The oysters should always
be laid on their sides so that water does not leak out of the shell. If the pearl oysters begin to open, that
indicates they have been kept out of the water too long.
When cleaning by hand with knives, try to be as gentle as possible. Avoid breaking the edge of the
shell. Regrowing shell takes energy and this could slow down pearl development.
Do not throw the waste from cleaning into the lagoon or farm area.
Wastes from cleaning, dead pearl oysters or other trash will pollute the water and could harm the pearl
oysters. It should be buried on land or disposed of at sea outside of the lagoon area.
Keep records of the work you do.
Write down the work done each time you visit the farm; for example, how many new pearl oysters were
added to the farm, how many died, how much was spent on materials for the farm and any other
information. Thorough records are useful for keeping track of costs, losses and if any problem such as
disease or mortality occurs, the records may provide information that may help you determine the
cause.
Keep the pearl oysters healthy by collecting and handling them properly.
See the Handling and transport section on Page 35 for guidelines on handling pearl oysters.
Prevent predators from eating or damaging pearl oysters.
All pearl oysters are vulnerable to attack from predators, but small spat are especially likely to be eaten
by predators. When using containers such as lantern baskets or trays to hold small pearl oyster spat,
check regularly for predators such as crabs or snails, which easily invade and hide in these containers.
Predatory snails (Cymatiumspp.) can kill several pearl oysters once they enter a container. Snails tend
to hide in crevices and under pearl oysters, so a thorough, weekly inspection is needed. The main threat
to pearl oysters hanging on chaplets are predatory fishes such as triggerfish and rays, which have strong
jaws capable of crushing even adult pearl oysters.
Protect the farm from vandalism and theft.
Theft and vandalism commonly cause economic losses on pearl oyster farms. Prevent this by siting the
farm where you can watch it from your house. At the very least, try to keep its location a secret by
submerging the entire farm. Farms have sometimes lost up to 20% of their pearls to theft. Pearls are
valuable and farms are often left unattended. Anyone entering your farm should be monitored at all
times.
Page 35
Handling and transport
The most important thing to remember when handling or transporting pearl oysters
is that they are living animals and must be treated carefully.
Rough treatment, exposure to heat or cold, and long periods out of the water can stress the pearl oyster.
Stress is the primary cause of disease in aquatic animals. Even a short period of stress can weaken the
pearl oyster so that it is more likely to become sick or produce a poor quality pearl.
Pearl oysters are valuable animals and are sensitive to environmental changes.
Each seeded pearl oyster is potentially worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Only a healthy
pearl oyster can produce a high quality pearl, and it may only take a short period of stress to damage the
developing pearl. It is well worth the extra time and effort required to keep the pearl oysters alive and
healthy.
The basics of safe handling
Clean pearl oysters and equipment before handling and transporting.
Cleaning pearl oysters and the equipment used to clean them helps prevent infections or contamination
with chemicals. It is particularly important to clean any equipment that has come into contact with oil
or gas. Cleaning the pearl oysters of fouling animals and plants before transport is also especially
necessary because these organisms may die during transportation, resulting in decomposing matter that
consumes oxygen and produces toxins that could harm the pearl oysters. Pearl oysters should be cleaned
with a wire brush or knife. This should be done very gently without breaking the shell, since this slows
the growth of the pearl oyster. Always bury the waste produced by cleaning on land or dispose of it in
the sea outside of the lagoon. Never put the waste in the water near the pearl oysters as it not only
pollutes the water, but as it rots it will also harm the oysters.
Only clean saltwater should be allowed to contact the pearl oysters.
The only time that freshwater should contact the pearl oysters is if it is used as a quick rinse to help
prevent fouling. Immersion for more than a few minutes in freshwater can kill pearl oysters. Similarly,
dirty seawater or seawater that is warmer or colder than the water in which the pearl oysters were grown
can also be harmful.
Page 36
During transport, pearl oysters prefer to be moist rather than submerged in water
without an air supply.
When pearl oysters are immersed in water, they open their shells and try to breathe. In small containers
of water with no source of air, pearl oysters will suffocate quickly. If the pearl oysters are kept wrapped
in materials such as burlap bags or papers that are moistened in clean seawater, they keep their shells
closed and will not dry out or suffocate for long periods of time. If kept in the shade, they can survive
for several hours out of the water this way.
Always keep pearl oysters lying flat on their side when out of the water.
Pearl oysters cannot close their shells tightly enough to prevent water from escaping. If they are kept
out of the water in a vertical position, the water trapped inside their shells will quickly leak out. The
pearl oysters will then open their shells to try to breathe and will dry out. Laying pearl oysters lying on
their sides helps keep them moist.
Protect pearl oysters from exposure to heat, cold, drying out, rough handling, dirt
and chemicals.
Any of these things can kill or shock pearl oysters. Avoid these by limiting how much time pearl
oysters spend out of the water and follow the guidelines listed above.
Minimize the amount of time pearl oysters are kept out of the water.
If kept moist and lying on their sides and if not exposed to heat or sun, pearl oysters can generally
remain out of the water for about 20-30 minutes before gaping. However, if possible, avoid exposing
pearl oysters for even this length of time.
Handle pearl oysters gently and with care.
Rough treatment can break the pearl oysters shell or shock the animal, either of which can slow pearl
development or affect the quality.
How to collect pearl oysters
Remove pearl oysters by gently cutting the byssal threads, not by pulling it free.
Pearl oysters anchor themselves to the reef or other hard substrate by threads called byssal threads or
byssus. Because the byssal threads are attached to the internal organs, harvesting a pearl oyster by
pulling the byssal threads free can damage the organs and kill it. This is especially important to note
after the pearl oyster has been grafted. Pulling on the byssal threads can affect formation of the pearl.
If the pearl oyster attaches to the chaplet or panel, cut it loose.
Page 37
Transporting pearl oysters in coolers
Pearl oysters can be transported without water if kept cool and moist.
The best way to do this is by using a Styrofoam or plastic cooler (also called ice chests or chiller bins).
First, scrub the cooler with clean seawater. Then put a layer of paper or cloth dampened with clean
seawater in the bottom. Next put in a layer of pearl oysters. Cover the pearl oysters with more damp
paper or cloth. More layers of alternating pearl oysters and wet cloth or paper are then added. Keep the
cooler cool by placing it in the shade. You can add a very small amount of ice, but be careful not to let
water collect at the bottom of the cooler (use a cooler with a drain if you plan to use ice). Pearl oysters
will die if left soaking in accumulated water, whether freshwater or seawater. It is better to use ice
packs, which can be frozen and reused. Although pearl oysters have been shipped successfully using
this method for periods up to 24 hours, try and limit the time in the cooler to 5 or 6 hours. Keep the
temperature inside at 26-28C (about the same temperature as the seawater from which they came).
The pearl oysters should be kept cool, but not cold, since this may weaken them. Handle the cooler
gently without allowing it to get jostled in the boat.
Transporting pearl oysters on the deck of a boat
Avoid transporting pearl oysters where contaminated air or water is present.
Transporting pearl oysters on the deck of a boat is a common practice, but if the pearl oysters are
exposed to oil, gas or heat in the air or in the water, they could die. The deck of a boat is often full of
water that contains oil or gas from the outboard engine. Try and keep the oysters on a platform or in a
container away from this oily water.
Pearl oysters should never be kept in standing water in an enclosed area like a boat
deck, or in a bucket.
When pearl oysters sit in a small amount of water, they open their shells and try to breathe and feed.
The oxygen in this small amount of water is used up quickly and the pearl oyster will suffocate and die.
It is better to transport pearl oysters in baskets, panels or damp sacks so that any water will drain out.
Pearl oysters do much better if kept just a little moist and cool, but not wet.
Pearl oysters must be protected from the heat of the sun.
Always cover pearl oysters with a moist sack or palm leaves when exposed to sun. Try to transport
pearl oysters during the coolest times of day. You can also occasionally douse them with fresh seawa-
ter, as long as this water does not accumulate around them.
Page 38
Limit transport on deck to 30 minutes or less.
If you have to transport pearl oysters for longer than 30 minutes, try to use coolers. At the very least,
wet the pearl oysters with clean seawater, taking care that the water drains away.
Transporting pearl oysters in tanks
Pearl oysters can be transported for longer periods of time using special seawater
tanks, but you must have a pump to keep water flowing in and out of the tanks at all
times.
It is rarely necessary to transport pearl oysters for such long distances that tanks need to be used.
Transporting pearl oysters in tanks is more expensive and complicated than other methods. In addition,
transport tanks require special materials for building the tanks and pumping system. It is also possible
that something will go wrong with the pump and the pearl oysters will die. If you need to use tanks to
transport many pearl oysters or to transport them over long distances, you should contact your aquacul-
ture extension agent for advice on how to properly build and operate the tank.
Page 39
Spat collection
Spat collection is the best means of supplying a farm with young pearl oysters of the right age for
grafting. If spat collection is biologically possible in your area, it is the preferred means of obtaining
spat. Collecting adult, wild oysters can threaten the wild populations and most of these animals are too
old to produce high quality pearls. Hatchery-produced spat are a good option if available and reason-
ably priced, but there are very few Black-Lip pearl oyster hatcheries.
What is spat collection?
The pearl oyster has several different life stages (Figure 5-life cycle). During the first 2-3 weeks of life,
the pearl oyster larva can swim freely. It then begins to look for a place to which it can attach itself,
such as a reef or the shell of another pearl oyster, to spend its adult life. The transition from free-
swimming larva to settled juvenile is called metamorphosis. Metamorphosis lasts 2-3 days and major
changes occur in the anatomy and behavior of the pearl oyster during this time. Metamorphosis is also
call setting or settling because attachment of the juvenile to a substrate is one of the main changes
that occurs throughout a pearl oysters life cycle. The small, juvenile pearl oyster that has passed
through metamorphosis and attached itself is called a spat.
Important things to remember in spat collection
Choose materials that increase the probability of spat set.
Spat collectors are designed to offer a protected area where spat can settle and grow safely. Pearl oyster
larvae generally prefer to attach to dark materials that offer shelter from predators. Many types of
materials have been used with success. These include pearl oyster shells, nursery shade cloth (55%
shade), black plastic strips (polyethylene sheeting), coconut husks, bundles of brushy twigs such as
mikimiki (Pemphis acidulus) or commercial spat collection material. Plastic materials, especially
nursery shade cloth, work best because these are lightweight and can easily be reused. Other materials
will collect spat, but tend to be so heavy that extra care is needed to ensure the spat collector lines do
not sink.
Correct placement of the spat collectors will improve the likelihood of good spat set.
Selecting a good area to place spat collectors can be difficult the first time spat collection is attempted.
Generally, protected areas such as lagoons or bays are best since it is assumed that larvae are retained in
these areas long enough to mature and set on the collectors. Lagoons with high rates of water exchange
or open-ocean areas are usually less likely to produce good spat set because larvae produced in these
areas may be flushed out by tides and currents. Areas within a lagoon where large numbers of pearl
oysters are found are also likely to produce good spat collection. Look also for areas where there are
gyres or eddies in the current, which may help retain spat in the location. Areas where there are a
number of coral pinnacles near the surface may also be good, since currents may slow near the pin-
nacles, especially on the leeward sides.
Spat collection
Page 40
Keep spat collectors as near the surface as possible.
Materials hung near the surface of the water appear to collect the most spat. Keep collectors within 3-
5 ft (1-2 m) of the surface by hanging collectors on very shallow main lines. Do not attempt to use the
farm lines to hang spat collectors since these are too deep. Add floats at frequent intervals on the line
to prevent sagging. Collectors that sink below 5 ft (2 m) rarely collect Black-Lip oyster spat, although
they may collect other types of animals and plants.
Locating spat collectors in calm areas prevents loss of spat.
Young spat are capable of detaching their byssal threads and moving if environmental conditions are
not suitable. This may happen if the spat collectors are in rough areas. Once you have seen spat set,
you can lower the lines so they experience less movement.
Making the collectors
Using shade cloth or plastic materials
The spat collectors should be about 3 ft (1 m) in length if using shade cloth or other plastic materials.
The material is first cut into strips that measure 3-5 in (7-8 cm) in width. Thread these onto a length of
1/8-in (4-mm) polypropylene rope in accordion fashion (See Figure 13-shade cloth spat collector). The
material should be packed onto the rope firmly, but not tightly. Snugly packing the material onto the
line creates a collector with a large amount of surface area and protected areas where spat are safe from
predators. Tie knots at the top and bottom of the collector to keep the material from slipping off the
rope. You may wish to tie a knot in the middle of the collector line to keep the material from sliding
down and bunching at the
bottom once it becomes
heavy with fouling.
Figure 13. Making a spat
collector out of shade
cloth. Shade cloth is cut
in strips and thread onto a
line. The shade cloth is
then compressed to form a
bushy mass of shade cloth
to provide shelter for
young spat.
Page 41
Leave about 13 in (30 cm) of rope free at the end of the collector so it can be tied onto the spat collector
main line using a slipknot (see Figure 14-knot for tying spat collectors or chaplets onto the main line).
Figure 14. Collectors should be tied on
to the mainline using a knot that can be
easily tied and untied using one hand,
such as the knot shown here. This knot
can be easily broken loose even when
fouling organisms have covered the line.
Using plant materials or shells:
If using mikimiki or some other brushy material, leave the small leaves and twigs in place and cut the
branches in lengths of about 22 in (50 cm). Then tie them together with rope or monofilament. Leave
enough extra line to tie the bundle onto the main line. If using coconut husks (the inner, brown husk),
make a hole in the end of each coconut half. Shred the coconut husk so that a furry mass is created.
Using a piece of 1/8-in (14-mm) polypropylene rope, tie a knot at one end, then thread on a coconut
husk. Tie another knot about 8 in (20 cm) above this and add another coconut half. Repeat this until 5
or 6 coconut halves are on the collector and then hang it on the main line.
The same can be done using pearl oyster shells.
This is a good use for old or broken shells. Drill
a hole through the center of the shells and thread
them on the collector line, using knots to keep
the shells from touching each other. Shells that
have been aged in the sun will work best.
When using any of the heavier materials, the spat
collector line will need more floats and will have
to be checked more often to be sure it does not
sink.
Figure 15. A spat collector
Spat collection
Page 42
Setting the collectors in the lagoon
Collectors should be set on main lines as close to the surface as possible.
Locating and maintaining collectors within 3 ft (1 m) from the surface of the water is ideal. It may be
necessary to set the collectors a bit lower if boats pass through the area, but do not set the collectors
deeper than 6 ft (2 m). When tying the collectors to the main line, use a slipknot that holds firmly, but
that can be tied and untied using one hand (Figure 15-slip knot for tying spat collectors onto main line).
Space the collectors about 8 in (20 cm) apart to prevent them from getting tangled up with each other.
If your main line sags more than 6.5 ft (2 m) between floats, try using empty plastic drink bottles to
serve as mini-floats along the sagging part of the line to keep the collectors high in the water.
A second method for deploying spat collectors is to tie them onto a line on land, which is then attached
to the main line. This method has the advantage of allowing most of the work to be done on land, rather
than in the water. When the time comes to harvest the spat, the collectors and the line they are attached
to are removed from the water. The main line is left in place.
Spat bags may help protect the spat from predators.
Spat bags are fine-mesh bags that are used to enclose the collectors in order to protect them from
predators. These have been used with mixed results. Spat bags are best used when the main cause of
predation is fish picking off the small spat. They may also be useful in areas that are often rough, since
spat falling off the collectors will be retained inside the bag. However, if predation by snails or crabs is
a problem, spat bags may only worsen the problem by retaining the predators near the collectors. Also,
once the mesh of the spat bag is fouled, there will be little spat set. It is recommended that the effective-
ness of spat bags be tested along with unenclosed collectors the first time spat collection is done in a
new area.
Keep collectors at least 160 ft (50 m) from reef areas to prevent predation.
Reefs shelter fish and other animals that eat spat. Keeping the collectors as far away as possible from
these areas will help prevent losses due to predation.
When to set out spat collectors
Spat set will be heaviest about 1 month after the high annual water temperatures
occur.
Pearl oysters spawn (produce eggs and sperm) when water temperatures are highest, although they will
usually spawn at lower levels during the entire year. Setting out collectors about 1 month before the
peak spawning season will improve your chances of capturing large numbers of spat.
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In the southern hemisphere, peak spawning seasons are in October and November, with a smaller peak
in March and April. Pearl farmers there set out spat collectors in late September and October. In the
northern hemisphere, very little spat collection has been done, so the peak spawning time is unknown.
In many areas, the highest water temperatures occur in July and August, so these may be the best times
to set out spat collectors. It is recommended that in areas where spat collection has not been previously
done, the pearl farmer set out some collectors every month during the first year and keep a record of the
times when the best settlement of spat occurs. Keeping a weekly record of water temperatures may also
help provide information that suggests best times to deploy spat collectors.
Maintaining the spat collection line
The most important part of maintaining the spat collection line is keeping it high in
the water.
As spat, other animals and plants begin to settle on the collectors and main line, they begin to weigh
down the line. If the line sinks below 6 ft (2 m), very few spat will set on the collectors. You should
check the spat collector line at least every week. Keep the main line high in the water by cleaning the
line often and adding more floats as needed. Inspect the collectors to see if any spat have settled. Be
sure to look at the center of the collector for small, hidden spat since they tend to seek protection there.
Keep monthly records of the number of spat settling on collectors. This will allow you to determine
which time of year is best for setting out spat collectors.
Identifying Black-Lip pearl oyster spat
Generally Black-Lip pearl oyster spat can be easily identified when they reach a size of 1/2 in (1 cm).
Spat reach this size about 2 months after setting. Very small spat can sometimes be confused with other
species of oysters (Pinctada radiata or Pinctada maculata), which look very similar to small spat.
Small Black-Lip pearl oyster spat are distinguished by being entirely or partially green, particularly in
the area near the umbo. The predominant green color is most obvious when the spat are smaller than
approximately 1/2 in (1 cm). As the spat grows, there may only be a hint of green near the umbo, while
the rest of the spat is brown or brownish-green. Other species tend to be entirely brown, orange or
yellow. Black-Lip pearl oyster spat also tend to have fewer streaks of white in their shells and when
they do occur the streaks usually do not reach back to the umbo area, but are confined to the middle or
edge of the shell. The smallest spat (less than approximately 1 in or 2 cm) tend to be smooth. Later
small growth process (spines) appears. The small spines on Black-Lip pearl oysters are wider and
flatter than the spines on similar species, and may be broader at the tips than the base. The spines on
Black-Lip pearl oysters also tend to be more rounded on the ends and crowded together. If in doubt,
keep the spat until they are large enough to positively identify their species. Consulting with an expe-
rienced farmer or extension agent may also be helpful.
Spat collection
Page 44
Figure 16. Black-lip pearl oyster spat. Note the
growth processes with broad tips-a distinguishing
characteristic of this species. Related species
usually have growth processes with more pointed
ends.
When spat appear on collectors
When spat are large enough to be identified, you have two choices of what to do next.
1) Cut (never pull) the spat off the collectors and keep them in lantern baskets.
The lantern baskets have the advantage of protecting the spat from predators and fewer spat will be lost
due to falling off the spat collectors. This option is more costly and requires more maintenance. The
lantern baskets should be cleaned and inspected weekly for the presence of predators such as snails and
crabs.
2) Leave the spat on the collectors until they are large enough to drill and hang on
chaplets.
Spat are large enough to be drilled when they reach a size of 4 inches (8-10 cm), or are large enough to
put in panels. If you wait to remove them from the collectors until after the spat are larger, be prepared
to add more floats to the spat collector lines since they will become very heavy and sink. In addition,
you may lose some spat to predators this way to predators or they may fall off the collector. However,
if spat settlement is heavy, this option is less expensive and more efficient.
After removing the spat, the collectors can be dried for a few weeks, cleaned and reused.
Caring for the spat
Spat are like all young animals; they are weak and easy to damage.
Spat should be handled gently at all times, and never more than necessary. Most importantly, never pull
the byssal threads out of a spat, as this will kill them. Always gently cut the byssal threads.
Page 45
Spat are very sensitive to heat and drying out.
If you must handle them, do not leave them out of the water for more than a few minutes. When out of
the water, keep them cool and shaded.
Give spat plenty of room to grow.
When spat are kept in lantern baskets, they tend to attach themselves to each other. You should check
the lantern baskets at least once a week and gently cut the spat apart if they are attached. Make sure that
each spat has at least 4 in (10 cm) between it and other spat, whether they are kept in lantern baskets or
panels.
Protect the spat from predators.
Carefully inspect lantern baskets at least once a week for predators like snails and crabs and extermi-
nate them. If spat are kept on the collectors or in some type of container that is not enclosed, be sure to
keep these at least 165 ft (50 m) from reef areas to lower the risk of predation from fish and octopus.
Once spat are removed from the collectors they can be kept at a depth of 19-23 ft (6-7
m).
Hang lantern baskets or panels containing spat at a depth of 19-23 ft (6-7 m). If keeping spat on the
collectors until they are large, the main line holding these collectors can be allowed to sink slightly.
What to do if the spat collectors do not collect any spat
In some areas, it may be difficult to collect many spat. You should expect to collect at least 1 or 2 spat
on each collector, although more is ideal. If the collectors do not yield this number of spat after 6-8
months in the water, see if any of the following tips help:
The collectors may be too deep.
If you see spat setting on the ropes and floats, but not the collectors, this may be a sign that the collec-
tors are too low in the water. Make sure all collectors are no deeper than 6 ft (2 m). Add more floats at
any part of the line that sags below 6 ft (2 m).
The collectors may be too shallow.
In some cases, you may observe that a large number of other bivalves are settling on the collectors. If
you see Black-Lip spat anywhere on the anchor lines lower than the collectors, you may need to lower
the collectors to the same depth.
Spat collection
Page 46
Be sure the water currents are not too strong near the main line.
Try to put the lines in fairly calm water or spat may fall off the line.
Try other locations in the lagoon.
Spat settlement will be uneven throughout a lagoon. The best areas are those where the water is calm
or where eddies form, because spat will spend more time in these areas. Also try locations on the
downcurrent side of small patch reefs, since eddies may occur here.
Try putting collectors out each month to determine which time is best.
The best times of year to collect spat are still unknown in many regions. Periodic deployments throughout
the year may be necessary to detect the best times.
Collectors lose their effectiveness if fouled with other organisms.
If collectors are set out more than 2-3 months before the peak spawning season, other organisms will
colonize the collectors first and possibly prevent pearl oyster spat from settling. If the collectors are
becoming colonized with other animals, the collectors should be removed from the water, cleaned and
deployed again.
Try different types of materials for making the collectors.
If a first attempt using materials other than shade cloth or other plastic materials specifically made for
spat collection has failed, you may have to switch materials. Materials such as shells, coconut husks or
mikimiki may not work if they have sunk too deep.
Page 47
Disease and other causes of death
While very little is known about pearl oyster diseases or their treatment, it is known that stress can
bring on disease. Disease organisms are always present in the water, but healthy pearl oysters seem to
be capable of fighting off disease. When disease appears on a farm, it is almost always a sign that the
pearl oysters have been subjected to some form of stress, which weakens the pearl oyster so it can no
longer fight off disease organisms. New diseases can also be introduced to which pearl oysters have no
resistance. In most cases where disease has been epidemic in farming areas, it appears to be related to
crowding, poor farming practices or problems in transport.
The best way to prevent diseases is to keep pearl oysters in good condition so they can resist diseases.
Prevention is also important because there are no known cures for pearl oyster diseases.
Causes of stress that may bring on disease include:
Polluted water from boats, villages, factories or the farm itself;
Prevent stress by locating farms in areas with clean water or upcurrent of pollution sources. Do every-
thing possible to keep the farm area clean, including not discarding the waste material from cleaning
pearl oysters in this area.
Crowded conditions with too many pearl oysters in the same area;
Prevent crowding by keeping only 10-15 pearl oysters per chaplet, not crowding pearl oysters in lantern
baskets, keeping main lines at least 66 ft (20 m) apart and farms at least 1650 ft (500 m) apart.
Rough handling;
Handle pearl oysters gently and work quickly to minimize the time they are out of the water.
Exposure to heat and cold;
Keep temperatures constant during handling and transporting by shielding pearl oysters from heat and
by using coolers for extended transport periods.
Nucleus implantation grafting or seeding;
Grafting is a very stressful process. Pearl oysters must be handled gently during and after grafting.
Minimize the risks by hiring a good technician and following his or her instructions for post-grafting
care of the oyster.
Page 48
Transporting to other areas;
Transporting pearl oysters over long distances is not a good idea for several reasons. The trip itself is
sufficiently stressful that pearl oysters may become sick and die afterwards. Transferring pearl oysters
between areas may also introduce new diseases. Additionally, there is evidence that pearl oysters from
different lagoons may be genetically different. This means that pearl oysters are best adapted to their
native lagoon environment and may be more susceptible to diseases when transplanted to a new area.
Too many fouling organisms on the shell;
Fouling organisms can weaken pearl oysters by competing for food or by boring into the shell. Prevent
this by cleaning the pearl oysters regularly.
Lack of food due to crowding or being held at the wrong depth;
Keep the pearl oysters at a depth of 19-23 ft (6-7 m) or at depths where you have seen the best growth.
Follow the guidelines for proper spacing given above to ensure that pearl oysters receive enough food
and oxygen through good water exchange.
Introduction of new disease from other areas.
Bringing in pearl oysters from other areas, particularly those areas where farming is intensive, may
introduce new diseases and should be avoided. If you do bring pearl oysters in from areas outside the
lagoon, set up a quarantine area far away from the farming area and keep pearl oysters there for a month
so you can observe them before transferring them to your farm.
What to do if disease strikes
Disease can strike without warning and kill many pearl oysters in a short period of
time.
Disease can spread rapidly and kill quickly. You may not notice that the pearl oysters are beginning to
die until it is too late unless you visit the farm often. If you notice that more than a few pearl oysters
have died recently, try to determine if some factor is stressing the animals. There should be very little
mortality on a farm except during the month following grafting. Even after grafting, mortalities should
not exceed 5-10% of grafted pearl oysters. Correct this if possible by following the guidelines listed
above. Usually crowding, excessive fouling organisms on the shell and/or rough handling during transport
are to blame. Take action immediately, so the situation will not worsen and jeopardize more of your
pearl oysters
If pearl oysters begin to die, avoid moving the possibly afflicted ones to areas with healthy pearl oysters
and risking spreading the disease.
Page 49
Other causes of death or poor health
Pearl oysters can also suffer from predation or fouling that may ruin their
commercial value, health or even kill them.
Fouling organisms such as sponges and burrowing worms (polychaetes) can damage and weaken the
shell by boring into it. Other fouling organisms may not directly attack the pearl oyster, but as they
accumulate and become heavy, they prevent the pearl oyster from feeding normally and thus weaken it.
Prevent damage from fouling organisms by regularly cleaning the pearl oysters. Some lagoon areas
may have higher fouling rates. If your farm area suffers from a heavy degree of fouling, consider
moving it to another area.
Although more difficult, some animals also prey upon pearl oysters. These predators include certain
kinds of snails, crabs, fish and octopus. Snails and crabs are most often a problem in lantern baskets or
other containers. They must be removed by hand and killed. Fish and octopus can also attack larger
pearl oysters, although small pearl oysters are still most vulnerable. Keep the spat in lantern baskets or
cages if you have problems with mortality caused by these animals. Snails and crabs are most likely to
attack spat because their shells are weaker.
Page 50
Page 51
Nucleus implantation (grafting)
Nucleus implantation, also called grafting or seeding, is the surgical implantation of a shell nucleus and
tissue graft (a small piece of mantle tissue) into the pearl oyster, thus starting the development of a
cultured pearl.
Natural pearls occur when a foreign body, such as a boring worm or grain of sand, irritates the pearl
oyster. Nacre is secreted around the foreign body by the mantle tissue to protect the pearl oysters
tissues. Grafting is a means of imitating this natural process so that a cultured pearl can be grown.
Grafting is a surgical procedure that should only be done by a qualified seeding technician. Almost
anyone can learn from a technician how to perform the grafting operation, but it requires years of
practice and dedication to perfect this skill and produce high quality pearls.
Guidelines for obtaining good grafting services
The skill of the grafting technician affects pearl quality and farm operating costs.
Good technicians are in high demand and prefer to work with experienced, reliable farmers. If a
technician is confident of the skill of the farmer, he will work for a share of the harvest. Otherwise, a
technician will demand a cash payment of $3-$4 for each pearl oyster he grafts. In both cases, the
farmer usually pays the airfare, lodging, food and expenses of a grafting technician while he works on
the farm. The farmer must negotiate the best deal he can, since the cost of hiring a technician is one of
the major farm operating costs. It is preferable to have the technician work for a share of the harvest,
since this motivates the technician to return and also if the technicians earnings depends on the harvest
of good quality pearls, he or she will be much more motivated to graft carefully and give the farmer
helpful advice.
Beware of technicians who graft too rapidly.
It is common practice for technicians working on a cash payment basis to simply graft as many pearl
oysters as possible without regard for suitability of the pearl oyster to produce a good pearl. Careful
grafting takes time, therefore, if a technician grafts more than 300 pearl oysters in a regular 8-hour
workday, it may be an indication that he is working too fast.
Traits to look for when hiring a technician are extensive experience, skill and a good
reputation.
Since grafting services are expensive, be sure and select a qualified technician. It takes several years
for a grafting technician to be able to reliably produce good quality pearls. The success of a technician
is measured by several factors: mortalities after grafting, the number of pearl oysters that reject the
nucleus and ultimately, the number of round Grade A pearls produced. Always ask for letters of refer-
Page 52
ence from farmers who have worked with the technician before and be sure and write a service contract
for both you (the farmer) and technician to sign.
Technicians can be good sources of technical advice.
Each seeding technician has his own methods and it is imperative that you follow his instructions
during the grafting process to guarantee success. Several months before the technician is scheduled to
arrive, ask him for instructions on how to prepare the pearl oysters and farm for the grafting procedure.
Try and learn as much as possible from the visiting technician about how to operate a farm. Even the
best technician cannot produce good pearls if farm management is poor before or after grafting.
While many technicians also buy pearls, they may not offer the best prices.
Technicians will often make a farmer an offer to buy the pearls immediately after a harvest. In many
cases, the price offered is below the market price, but you may feel pressured to accept the offer either
to please the technician or because you do not feel confident that you can sell the pearls elsewhere.
Resist the temptation to sell the pearls immediately. You will usually be able to obtain a better price
from wholesaler pearl buyers or jewelers. If you want to sell to your technician, you should try to have
the pearls graded and the price set by an impartial professional.
The grafting process
Preparation for grafting
The ideal pearl oyster size for grafting is about 4.5-6 in (12-15 cm) in length, or about
the size of a womans hand.
These animals will be 1-2 years of age. This age is ideal because the pearl oysters are still growing
quickly and will produce nacre at a more rapid speed. The nacre produced by young pearl oysters also
tends to have more luster than that produced by older animals. Older and larger pearl oysters can be
grafted, but are less likely to produce high-quality pearls.
Pearl oysters gathered from the reef need special preparation for grafting.
Pearl oysters collected as spat are superior to adults collected from the reef for pearl production. The
reasons for this are not completely understood; it may be that animals farmed from a very young age are
simply more accustomed to the sometimes stressful conditions of a farm. Also, pearl oysters collected
from the reef are likely to be older. If you must use pearl oysters taken as adults from the reef, you
should prepare these carefully for grafting. These animals should have been hung on lines or in baskets
for at least 6 months before seeding begins.
Page 53
Pearl oysters must be cleaned on a monthly basis before grafting; a final cleaning is
done just before grafting.
Cleaning keeps the pearl oysters healthy and in good condition. The cleaning done just before grafting
should be a light and gentle cleaning so that the animals are not shocked.
The technician may ask for you to perform pre-grafting conditioning.
Technicians have different methods of conditioning the pearl oysters, but it is common for the techni-
cian to ask the farmer to condition the pearl oysters about 6 weeks before grafting. Conditioning is a
means of inducing the pearl oysters to spawn, thus ridding the gonad of most of the egg or sperm, which
can interfere with grafting. If grafting takes places just after the normal annual spawning, this may not
be necessary. Conditioning is done by raising the lines to the surface of the water for about 4 hours
during the heat of the day. The increased temperature and reduction in water pressure makes the pearl
oysters spawn. After spawning, they are returned to their usual depth. It is important that this is not
done immediately before grafting since conditioning weakens the pearl oysters and they need time to
recover.
A special farm platform or building where the technician can work is needed.
Grafting is usually conducted on a covered platform built over the water. This platform must be stur-
dily built so that it does not shake while the technician is working. It should also be built in an area that
is deep enough to hang chaplets of pearl oysters. The water surrounding the platform must be calm and
clear since sediment in the water can interfere with the quality of the seeding. The platform should also
be spacious enough that workers can move around without disturbing the technician. Technicians
usually will request that a special table and chair be provided. Seeding can also be conducted on land,
but this is not as convenient.
The grafting procedure
When the pearl oysters are brought to the platform for seeding, they are opened slightly with special
tools. A wooden peg is then inserted to keep the pearl oyster open until the seeding technician works
on it. Care should be taken not to leave the pearl oysters open for longer than a few minutes as this can
kill it.
The seeding technician will look for a donor animal from which to take the mantle tissue graft. The
mantle tissue of the donor animal determines the color and quality of the cultured pearl, so care should
be taken to use only pearl oysters with the most beautiful nacre for this. The donor is then killed and the
mantle tissue removed. This strip of mantle tissue is trimmed and cleaned until only a thin strip con-
taining the nacre-producing epithelial cells remains. The strip is then cut into tiny squares about 1/8 x
1/8 in (2 x 3 mm) long. These tiny pieces of mantle tissue will be inserted along with the nucleus into
the tissues of the pearl oyster. The transplanted mantle graft will grow, covering the nucleus with a
Page 54
Figure 17. Nacre is formed by the epithelial cells of the mantle tissue. The upper diagram shows a natural irritant or a
plastic mabe form being covered progressively with layers of nacre deposited by these cells. In the case of a cultured
pearl, this process is imitated. The transplanted piece of mantle tissue contains the nacre-producing epithelial cells.
The small piece of tissue grows around the nucleus with the epithelial cells forming the inner layer of the pearl sac (from
Wada 1973).
tough tissue called the pearl sac. The inner lining of the pearl sac contains the epithelial cells, which
continue secreting nacre onto the nucleus. As the layers of nacre accumulate, a pearl is formed (Figure
17).
The seeding technician will then take the pearl oysters selected for grafting and open them slightly
wider. These are placed in a special clamp. After examination, some of these will be rejected as too
old, too small or simply unsuitable for seeding. In most cases, the size and shape of the gonad will
determine whether the pearl oyster is grafted or not. This is based on the judgment of the grafting
technician and is learned after years of practice.
The technician makes a small cut in the gonad of the pearl oyster. The mantle graft is inserted into the
gonad first, followed by the nucleus. The size of the nucleus used depends on the size of the pearl
oyster and the condition of the gonad. Generally nuclei range in size from 0.3 in (7 mm) to 1.56 in (14
mm), with the smaller sizes being most commonly used the first time an animal is grafted. A small
piece of the donor mantle tissue is inserted last. The pearl oyster is then allowed to close, placed on a
chaplet or in a tray and returned to the water.
Page 55
Post-grafting care
The first 30 days after grafting are a critical period during which the pearl sac forms.
The first 30-40 days after grafting are critical because that is when most deaths or nucleus rejections
occur. During the recuperation period after grafting, the piece of mantle tissue that was implanted
along with the nucleus will slowly grow around the nucleus creating the pearl sac. Layers of nacre
are slowly secreted around the nucleus by cells contained within the pearl sac. It usually takes about
1-2 years to form a pearl with sufficiently thick nacre 0.8-0.12 in or (2-3 mm) to harvest.
To monitor the grafted pearl oysters, use catch bags.
It is common to enclose the newly seeded pearl oyster in a fine-meshed bag called a catch bag.
Using the catch bag allows you to see if the nucleus is rejected. Catch bags can be used with either
chaplets or panels. Some technicians may object to using catch bags, you can and should insist on this,
as it is the only way to determine how well the technician is doing. Be sure to include this condition in
the contract with the technician. The catch bags should not be left on for longer than 40 days after
grafting because it may interfere with the pearl oysters ability to feed.
The pearl oysters should be allowed to rest in very calm waters for about 40 days
after grafting.
You may need to have a special line for this if your other farm lines are in an area that experiences swift
currents. As always, handle the grafted animals gently when moving them to the line and do not expose
them to heat or dryness.
After 40 days, the pearl oysters can be removed from the catch bags and inspected.
Some pearl oysters will die and others will reject the nucleus during the first 40 days. The pearl oysters
can be cleaned for the first time after grafting at this point. Remove the pearl oysters from the catch
bags and carefully inspect the bag for a rejected nucleus. Keeping a record of how many died and how
many rejected the nucleus helps you evaluate the performance of the technician. Return the pearl
oysters that have kept the nucleus to the farm lines. It may be helpful to make a map of your farm or to
place plastic tags on the chaplets to help you remember which pearl oysters are grafted.
Separate the pearl oysters that have rejected the nucleus and keep these to produce
keshi pearls.
Even though the nucleus is rejected, some of the mantle tissue may remain inside the gonad. The
pieces of tissue often form baroque pearls without a nucleus called keshi. Farmers usually leave
these pearl oysters in the water for 2 years before harvesting. Keshis can be large and attractive and
may produce a high proportion of your farms revenue.
Page 56
Page 57
Harvest
Harvest pearls when the nacre layer is 0.08-0.12 in (2-3 mm) thick.
A good quality black pearl has a nacre layer at least 0.08-0.12 in (2-3 mm) thick, which takes a mini-
mum of 18 months in most areas. Do not risk producing pearls with thin nacre by trying to harvest
early. If you are not sure if your pearls have a thick enough layer of nacre to be harvested, harvest a few
and have them drilled. Examination of the drilled hole with a magnifying glass or jewelers loupe will
reveal whether the nacre is thick enough. Pearls with thin nacre have poorer luster and buyers will soon
discover that these pearls are of inferior quality when they are drilled because they crack around the
drill holes. Selling poor quality pearls can ruin your reputation as a pearl farmer and make future sales
more difficult.
The technician who grafted the pearl oysters will likely want to return for the harvest.
In most cases, technicians will want to harvest the pearls they grafted, especially when working for a
share of the harvest. This is advantageous for the farmer because the technician will be especially
motivated to work carefully.
Supervise all workers and technicians during the harvest.
Although most people are honest, it is not unusual for a pearl farmer to lose a high percentage of his
harvest through theft. Some technicians may try and insist that the farmer not watch them harvest the
pearls because of the supposed danger of revealing secret methods. This should not be allowed. The
farmer has the right to supervise all phases of the harvest. Additionally, pearls can easily be dropped
and lost by careless workers. Having you there will make workers more careful because they may be
held accountable for their actions. After harvest, pearls should be stored in a secure place.
A second or third graft may be performed on some pearl oysters.
Second grafts can be an important part of operating a profitable farm. A skilled technician can graft a
pearl oyster a second time if the first pearl produced is a high-quality, round pearl. Second grafts are
only performed on pearl oysters that produce good pearls because the price of the larger nucleus used in
the second graft is high. The second pearl will be larger and has a higher probability that it will be of
good quality. Conversely, a pearl oyster that produces a poor quality first pearl will most likely produce
a poor quality second pearl.
Harvest
Page 58
Wash pearls after harvesting.
Pearls will have a thin mucus coating when harvested, so it is best to keep them in freshwater until they
can be cleaned using a salt bath. Special tumblers can be purchased for this purpose or a cloth bag can
be used. Add approximately twice as much rock salt to the tumbler or bag as the volume of the pearls
to be cleaned. Then add just enough freshwater to make a slushy mixture. Tumble or gently shake the
bag for about 5 minutes. Next, rinse in freshwater and dry on a soft cloth. The pearls will be much
more lustrous after cleaning. This is all the processing necessary for black pearls. Do not risk your
reputation as a producer by attempting other forms of processing designed to cover flaws or poor luster.
An important part of grafting and harvesting is keeping thorough records.
Keep records throughout the entire production process. Record the number of pearl oysters that were
taken to be seeded, rejected, died and/or rejected the nucleus. The number of second or third grafts that
were performed and how many pearls were harvested should also be recorded. Tracking the perfor-
mance of individual technicians is also a good practice.
Page 59
Half-pearl (mabe) implantation
Half-pearls, also called mabe, can be a good way to make money from pearl
oysters.
Mabe are dome-shaped pearls formed on the surface of the pearl oyster shell. Although the term half-
pearl is also used to describe mabe, this may be confusing since the term half-pearl is also used to
describe other types of pearls. Although not as valuable as a round pearl, it is easier to reliably produce
mabe. If for some reason you cannot or do not wish to hire a grafting technician, you can implant half-
pearl nuclei yourself. Even if you are producing round pearls, you can use defective or old pearl oysters
that the grafting technician rejects to produce mabe.
Half-pearl nuclei are made from plastic and are most commonly round, oval or teardrop-shaped. One
side is flat and the other rounded. These range in size from 0.3 in (8 mm) to 0.6 in (15 mm) in diameter
and cost $0.50-$1. The best size to implant is the 0.30.4 in (8-10 mm) size. Half-pearl nuclei made
specifically for half-pearl production can be ordered and come in a variety of shapes: round, oval,
teardrop or heart-shaped. However, just about any small plastic object with one flat side can be used.
Producing mabe
Carefully open the pearl oyster so you can see inside and select a good spot to glue
the nucleus.
Open the pearl oysters by allowing the shell to open naturally; then insert a wedge of wood to keep it
open. Otherwise open the shell using the flat-edge opening tool and speculum as you would for normal
grafting (no more than 0.3 in or 8 mm or you risk injuring it). Place the pearl oyster in a clamp to hold
it securely.
Figure 18. Typical grafting tools. Left to right: Two sizes of speculum for opening shells; spatula and hook for
positioning tissues; two knives for making incisions in the gonad prior to insertion of the nucleus; mantle tissue lifter;
forceps; knife for trimming mantle tissue; scissors for cutting byssus; and scissors for trimming mantle tissue. The
photograph on the right demonstrates the positioning of the open pearl oyster in the clamp relative to the grafting tissue.
(photographs: Fareka, Farell).
Page 60
Look for areas on the inside of the shell where the nacre is lustrous and of the
desired color.
The half-pearl will have the same color as the area on the shell where it is glued. If it is placed near the
colored area, which is close to the edge of the shell, it will have a dark, iridescent quality. If placed
further inside, it will be white or silvery. It helps to have a lamp or flashlight to be able to see inside the
shell. You can also use a small dental mirror to examine the inside of the shell for a spot with good
nacre to glue the nucleus.
Use only a small amount of glue to attach the nucleus to the selected spot.
Dry the part of the shell where you want to place the plastic nuclei using a cotton swab or small sponge.
Pick up the nucleus on the lifter (Figure 19-how to graft mabe) with the flat side up. Put a drop of
polycyanoacrylate glue (also known as Super Glue) on the flat side of the nucleus. Press the nucleus
firmly against the top shell and hold for 10 seconds. The nucleus should stick. Take care not to leave
the pearl oyster open for more than a few minutes.
Some cautions:
Do not use nuclei so large that the pearl oyster cannot close its shell afterwards.
You can implant up to 5 nuclei in a large pearl oyster or 3 in a medium-sized one.
Nuclei can be attached to the upper and lower shells, but stagger their locations so that
the pearl oyster can close its shell afterwards (Figure 18-how to place mabe nucleus).
Place the nucleus as close as possible to the front of the shell so that it is located on the
most colorful section of the nacre, unless you want white or silver mabe.
Use fresh glue because old glue will not hold firmly.
Keep the glue in the refrigerator, but let it come to room temperature before using it.
Use only a small drop of glue it should not ooze out around the edge of the nucleus.
Take care not to get any of the glue on the tissue of the pearl oyster.
Page 61
Figure 19. Tools for grafting mabe. A lifter is used to pick up and position the plastic mabe forms on the interior pearl
oyster shell.
Figure 20. Mabe forms can be
attached to the upper and lower shell
as long as the forms are alternated
between top and bottom so that two
forms do not come into contact with
each other and prevent the pearl
oyster from closing its shell. Note
that you should place the mabe forms
in the most highly colored area of the
shell since this will produce the best
quality mabe.
Good quality mabe can be harvested after 9-12 months.
A few mabe can be checked 6 months after implantation to determine if the nacre is thick enough to
allow harvest. It should be at least 0.12 in (3 mm) thick. If not, the mabe may break during processing.
Page 62
Before starting mabe culture, look for a buyer.
The buyer can tell you how to prepare the mabe for harvest. In some cases, they may want you to send
the entire shell without cutting out the half-pearl. However, if you can cut them out yourself it is more
profitable to you because you can use the remaining parts of the shell for production of handicrafts.
However, if you do not have the proper tools or sufficient skill to cut out the mabe, then do not risk
ruining the mabe and just sell the entire shell.
Mabe require processing before they can be made into jewelry.
The mabe that are embedded in the shell will be cut out of the shell leaving about 0.5 in (1 cm) between
the edge of the mabe and the cut. The plastic form will either be popped out or drilled out, leaving only
the nacre covering. The resulting hole will be filled with epoxy, then glue on a mother-of-pearl back-
ing. It takes some skill to do this well, so normally farmers will simply sell the unprocessed mabe.
Page 63
Selling pearls and pearl products
Most farmers sell pearls directly to buyers, who will often attend the harvest, particularly if the harvest
is a large one or many farmers are participating. The buyer will want to grade the pearls, meaning
evaluate the quality of each pearl. The farmer can also market his pearls directly to jewelers or whole-
salers, but this requires travel and a good knowledge of pearl grading and pricing.
Pearls are usually sold as lots, although individual pearls may also be sold.
A harvest will usually be divided into lots of pearls of similar size and quality. The buyer will then pay
a set price for the entire lot. Some buyers will want to buy only individual pearls that are large or of
particularly high quality. If the best pearls are removed from the lot, it may be difficult to sell the
remaining pearls since there will be fewer choice pearls to tempt the buyer. Until a farmer has a good
knowledge of pearl grading and marketing, it will generally be advantageous to sell the pearls in lots.
The quality and price of a pearl depends on several factors: size, shape, luster, color,
orient and texture.
A good or high quality pearl is large, round, lustrous, smooth without flaws and possesses an
iridescent quality.
Size is one of the main determinants of price.
Pearl sizes are measured by the diameter in millimeters. They may also be weighed in mommes (3.75
grams) or grams. Large pearls (over 12 mm) are much higher-priced than the smaller ones. For ex-
ample, in 1992 the average price of a black pearl rated as fine, measuring 8 mm (0.32 in), was $285;
while a 9-mm (0.36 in) pearl of the same quality was worth $385 a difference of $100 for a 1-mm (0.6
in) increase in size. The next size pearl (10 mm or 0.4 in) was worth $560, an increase of $175 for a 1-
mm (0.6 in) increase in size. This progressively greater difference in price continues as pearls get
larger, explaining the reasons an experienced technician will be careful to use the largest size nucleus
possible. Every millimeter difference in size can mean a substantial increase in price.
Pearls harvested so early that the nacre layer is very thin, are not only smaller, but are also considered to
be of lower quality because a thin nacre layer can easily crack. The luster and orient of thin nacre may
also be of lesser quality. Your reputation as a pearl producer can suffer by attempting to sell pearls with
thin nacre. A proper nacre layer should be at least 0.08-0.12 in (2-3 mm) thick, which takes approxi-
mately 18-24 months. Therefore, it is wise not to harvest too early.
Page 64
Black pearls vary considerably in color.
Most pearls produced by Black-Lip pearl oysters will be dark gray or black with an iridescent quality. It
is the iridescent colors of the pearl that increases its value. There should be undertones of blue, green,
purple (eggplant) or silver. Predominantly blue-green colors with hints of other colors (the term pea-
cock refers to having all colors present) are considered most valuable. Pearls are always examined
and graded in natural sunlight so that the subtle colors can best be seen.
The color of the pearls grafted by a technician can tell you a lot about his or her skill. If a high
percentage of the pearls are silver-white, yellow or orange, it may mean that the technician was not
careful in selecting mantle tissue that produced the best nacre quality. Pearls of these colors have a
much lower value than darker colors. However, even the best technicians will produce pearls with a
wide variety of colors.
Pearl shapes are generally classified as round, semi-round, circl, or baroque.
Round pearls are completely round on all sides, while semi-rounds may have slightly flattened or
bulging surfaces. Round pearls will sell for the highest price and the number of round pearls produced
by a technician is a sign of his or her skill. Baroque pearls are pearls with any shape other round and
although not considered as high quality can still be valuable if of otherwise good quality. Circls are
the baroque pearls that have circular grooves running around the outside of the pearl.
The luster and orient of a pearl are classified by the way in which the surface of a
pearl reflects light.
A high quality pearl with good luster reflects light well, while a poor quality pearl is dull or chalky. The
most lustrous pearls have a finish that is mirror-like. The orient refers to the way the light enters the
semi-transparent nacre and is refracted outwards. This gives an appearance of depth to the pearl.
Pearls with thin nacre will usually be betrayed by poor luster and orient.
The surface of a pearl should be smooth and without flaws.
Pearls are often flawed with a variety of bumps, pits and spots that reduce its value. If there are only one
or two small flaws that can be hidden when the pearl is made into jewelry, it still may be rated as a
Grade A pearl, but more flaws will definitely reduce its grade.
The most important thing to understand about selling your pearls is that not all
pearls can or will be sold.
While a rating of commercial or C+ is awarded to the lowest quality marketable pearl, often the
majority of a farmers production cannot even meet this standard and thus cannot be sold. Therefore,
since it takes only one mistake to ruin an otherwise perfect pearl, doing even the smallest tasks cor-
rectly is extremely important to the success of your business.
Page 65
On average, the top 5% percent of pearls will earn 95% of a farmers income.
Only 5-10% of pearls produced are considered high quality. This means that if you harvest 1,000
pearls, only 50-100 of those will fetch the highest prices. The rest may not sell for enough to produce
a profit.
Pearl grading is a fine art, but obtaining a high price for your pearls depends on your
knowledge of the basics.
Do not depend on the pearl buyer to accurately grade your pearls, since this affects the price he will pay
you. If possible, have an impartial, qualified person grade your pearls. You should also try to learn as
much as possible about pearl grading and the ever-changing international market to ensure the accuracy
of the grader.
You can also sell other pearl products such as mabe and various shell products.
These might include jewelry made from polished shell, fishing lures, and other handicrafts that incor-
porate pieces of polished shell. Face cream made with scraps of nacre from pearl oyster shells can also
be sold for a good price.
Page 66
Page 67
Budgets for small and medium pearl farms
This example assumes that 3,000 pearl oysters are implanted (grafted) on the small farm and that 6,000
are grafted on the medium size farm. It is assumed that of the grafted pearl oysters, 45% will eventually
yield a pearl that is of sufficient quality to be sold. The small farm will thus yield 1,350 pearls and the
medium size farm will produce 2,700 pearls. Pearl prices are average prices for single pearls in 2001.
Costs are based on typical costs in the Western Pacific, although the reader is warned that in order to
use this budget to calculate returns for his or her farm, some research will need to be done to collect
information on current costs and that these should be used formulating the budget for his or her farm.
The pearl oysters are cultured for 18 months before harvest, so this budget covers a period of 18 months.
In most cases, a farmer will have enough pearl oysters held on the farm so that grafting and harvesting
can be timed so that harvesting occurs yearly. This budget also does not consider income from second
or third grafts, nor sales of other possible products like handicrafts or shells.
The budget for the small pearl farm demonstrates that at the end of an 18-month culture period, the
farmer will make $8,932 over the amount spent to operate the farm during that period. The farm-start
up budget shows that an additional $17,000 will have been needed to start farm operations. It will take
the farmer slightly more than two culture cycles to recoup these start-up costs based on the return of
$8,932 per culture cycle.
In comparing the budgets for a small and medium pearl oyster farm, it can be seen that by scaling up to
the medium size farm, a farmer can make higher returns. Essentially, the returns double, but the costs
increase only slightly since many of the costs are similar for small and medium size farms (e.g. commu-
nications, marketing). Startup costs are slightly higher for the medium farm, but since this increase in
scale is modest, the farm can be started with almost the same amount of equipment and supplies. In this
case, the start-up costs are recouped by the returns from the first harvest. It is therefore advisable to try
and establish a larger farm when possible. Some caution should be used since this scaling-up with
minimal additional costs is only applicable to a certain point. Very much larger farms will entail much
higher startup costs and operational costs. The farmer is thus advised to use accurate information to
calculate costs and returns when deciding whether to farm, and for what size of farm to aim.
Appendix
Appendix
Page 68
Item Description Unit Quantity Price/Unit ($)
Total
Cost ($)
Pearls
Size 9-10 mm
Grade A
pearl 110 45.00 4950
Size 9-10 mm
Grade B
pearl 160 30.00 4800
Size 9-10 mm
Grade C
pearl 190 20.00 3800
Size 11-12 mm
Grade A
pearl 143 55.00 7865
Size 11-12 mm
Grade B
pearl 219 35.00 7665
Size 11-12 mm
Grade C
pearl 250 25.00 6250
Size 13-14 mm
Grade A
pearl 22 100.00 2200
Size 13-14 mm
Grade B
pearl 25 80.00 2000
Size 13-14 mm
Grade C
pearl 31 65.00 2015
Circles and
baroque
pearl 200 30.00 6000
Keshi pearl 300 2.00 600
Gross Returns $48,145
Small Pearl Farm Budget (3,000 pearl oysters grafted
every 18 months)
3,000 grafted with final harvest of which 45% are saleable (1,350)
Table 1. Gross Returns (returns from pearl sales)
Page 69
Item Description Unit Quantity Price/Unit ($) Total Cost ($)
Spat grafting size spat spat 3500 1.75 6125
Graftingservices
grafting fees and
travel/lodging expenses
trip 1 13,000.00 13,000
Labor
2 persons/3 days per
week/18 months
hour 3744 2.00 7488
Diesel gas
for the generator (to
supply electricity)
gallon 200 0.50 100
Gas for the outboard motor gallon 200 2.00 400
Equipment repairs
repairs to boats,
engines, generator, etc.
500
Miscellaneous
materials and
supplies
tools, knives, gloves,
compressor supplies
1000
Communications phone/fax/email 500
Marketing
1 overseas trip for
marketing
trip 1 4000.00 4000
Depreciation
assumes $15,000 in
assets depreciated at
10% for 10 years
3400
Insurance
worker and vehicle
insurance
2000
Concession permit fee permit 1 200.00 200
Total Costs $38,713
N t R t
($48,145 - $38,713)
Item Cost
boat (20'-30') 5000
two outboard motors (35 hp) 4000
miscellaneous boat gear 500
seeding platform 1000
small generator 500
basic office equipment (telephone, fax, etc.) 500
compressor 1000
2 sets SCUBA gear 1500
grafting and other work tools 700
ropes, floats, anchors for 3 lines 2300
TOTAL $17,000
Table 2. Costs (for operating farm for 18 months)
Table 3. Startup costs
for small farms
Appendix
Page 70
Medium Pearl Farm Budget (6,000 pearl oysters grafted
every 18 months)
6,000 grafted with final harvest of which 45% are saleable (2,700)
Table 4. Gross Returns (returns from pearl sales)
Page 71
Table 5. Costs (for operating farm for 18 months)
Table 6. Startup
costs for medium
farms
Item Description Unit Quantity Price/Unit ($) Total Cost ($)
Spat grafting size spat spat 7000 1.75 12,250
Graftingservices
grafting fees and
travel/lodging expenses
trip 1 22,000.00 22,000
Labor
2 persons/4 days per
week/1.5 years
hour 4992 2.00 9984
Diesel gas
for the generator (to supply
electricity)
gallon 200 0.50 100
Gas for the outboard motor gallon 200 2.00 400
Equipment repairs
repairs to boats, engines,
generator, etc.
500
Miscellaneous materials
and supplies
tools, knives, gloves,
compressor supplies
1000
Communications phone/fax/email 500
Marketing
1 overseas trip for
marketing
trip 1 4000.00 4000
Depreciation
assumes $15,000 in
assets depreciated at
10% for 10 years
3400
Insurance
worker and vehicle
insurance
2000
Concession permit fee permit 1 200.00 200
Total Costs $56,334
Net Returns
($96,290 - $56,334)
= $39,956
Item Cost
boat (20'-30') 5000
two outboard motors (35 hp) 4000
miscellaneous boat gear 500
seeding platform 1000
small generator 500
basic office equipment (telephone, fax, etc.) 500
compressor 1000
2 sets SCUBA gear 1500
grafting and other work tools 700
ropes, floats, anchors for 3 lines 4600
TOTAL $19,300
Appendix
Page 72
Page 73
Glossary
Baroque: irregularly shaped pearls.
Circl: pearls which have concentric grooves around the perimeter.
Fouling, biofouling: small plants and animals that colonize the shell of the pearl oyster thereby becom-
ing a nuisance.
Gape: involuntary relaxation of a pearl oysters shell, often as a result of spending too much time out
of the water or a weakening of the adductor muscle.
Gonad: reproductive organ, produces either sperm or eggs..
Grafting: also known as seeding or nucleus implantation; a surgical procedure in which the nucleus
and a small piece of mantle tissue are inserted into the gonad thus starting development of a cultured
pearl.
Half-pearl: a pearl of a half-spherical or semi-spherical shape attached to the shell, forming naturally
when an irritant is covered with nacre.
Larva, larvae: early developmental stage of the pearl oyster life cycle when the pearl oyster is a micro-
scopic and free-swimming organism. This period lasts 2-3 weeks.
Keshi: means poppy in Japanese, a by-product of the grafting process, produced when the implanted
piece of mantle tissue secretes nacre around itself, resulting in small, irregularly shaped pearls without
a nucleus.
Mabe: dome-shaped secretions of nacre developed over an artificial form attached to the shell. Some-
times also called half-pearls (see half-pearls).
Metamorphosis: developmental stage involving anatomical and behavioral changes transforming the
free-swimming larvae to a settled adult.
Nacre: also called mother-of-pearl; the iridescent material lining the inside of mollusk shells, com-
posed of calcium carbonate crystals (aragonite) deposited between layers of organic material; one of
the types of shell material formed by the epithelial cells in the mantle tissue.
Glossary
Page 74
Pearl sac: the tissue containing the nacre-producing epithelial cells that enclose the developing pearl.
The pearl sac develops out of the transplanted piece of mantle tissue (the graft) inserted into the gonad
during grafting. This term may also be used to refer to the extreme end of the gonad where the nucleus
is inserted.
Speculum: the tool used to open the pearl oyster shell.
Spat: juvenile pearl oyster.
Spawn, spawning: release of eggs or sperm by the pearl oyster into the water.
Page 75
Suppliers of aquaculture and pearl farming
supplies
The following vendors supply general aquaculture equipment and some sources of specialize pearl
production items are also listed. This listing does not constitute an endorsement of these vendors, but
is merely provided for purposes of information.
Pacific Aqua Products Inc
2767 Muir Road
Courtenay, B.C.
V9N 9A1
Canada
Tel 250-338-7572
Fax 250-338-7579
E-mail: inertia@island.net
Website: www.pacificaquaproducts.com
Products: Spat bags, lantern baskets, pocket panels and other pearling equipment.
Fukui North American
P.O. Box 119, Islandview Drive
Golden Lake, Ontario K0J 1X0
Canada
Tel 613-625-2544
Fax 613-625-2688
E-mail: bishopd@renc.igs.net
Website: www.fukuina.com
Products: Spat bags, lantern baskets, pocket panels and other pearling equipment.
Australian Netmaker
P.O. Box 291, Hamilton Hill
6163 Western Australia
Australia
Tel (08) 9331 1955
Fax (08) 9337 6582
E-mail: george@atticamarine.com
Website: www.attica.iinet.net.au
Products: complete line of pearl farming equipment including pocket panels, longline systems,
floats, spat collectors, seeding tools and accessories.
Suppliers
Page 76
Earth Corporation
4-3 Nihonbashi Bakuro-cho
I-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103
Japan
Tel (03) 3664 5216
Fax (03) 3666 3885
E-mail:saitou-hiro@earth-j.com
Website: www.earth-j.com/suisou/
Products: pocket panels, lantern baskets and floats.
Mori Shell Button
401-37-15- 8 Chome, Koyame
Fujiidera City, Osaka 583-0033
Japan
Tel (81) 729-55-9175
Fax (81) 729-55-0869
Email: msbshell@nifty.com or nishijima@morishellbutton.com
Products: complete line of pearl farming equipment including pocket panels, longline systems,
floats, spat collectors, seeding tools, nuclei and accessories.
Mea Pacific Inc.
41-894 Kakaina St.
Waimanalo, HI 96795 USA
Tel: 808-259-8755
Fax: 808-259-8750
email: equator@lava.net
Product: nucleus
J&L Supply
2939 Old Delhi Rd.
Pioneer, LA 71266 USA
Tel: 318-926-5269
Fax: 318-926-4275
Aquila International, Inc.
2036 Larkspur Dr.
Lexington, KY, 40504 USA
Tel: 606-276-4566
email: aquila@city-online.com
Product: nucleus
Page 77
Aquatic Ecosystems Inc.
1767 Benbow Court,
Apopka, FL 32703, USA
Tel 407-886-3939 or 1-877-347-4788
Fax 407-886-4884
Email: aes@aquaticeco.com
Website: www.aquaticeco.com
Products: One of the most extensive collections of aquaculture products in one catalog in the world.
Includes ropes, floats, spat bags and lantern nets.
Area
Aquaculture Research/Environmental Associates, Inc.
P.O. Box 901303
1088 West Mowry Drive
Homestead, FL 33090-1303, USA
Tel. 305-248-4205
Fax 305-248-1756
E-mail: areainc@aol.com
Products: General aquaculture supplies, shellfish production containers.
Aquaculture Supply
33418 Old Saint Joe Roa
Dade City, FL 33526, USA
Tel. 352-567-8540
Fax 352-567-3742
e-mail: ASUSA@Aquaculture-Supply.com
Website: http://www.Aquaculture-Supply.com
Products: General aquaculture supplies, shellfish production containers.
Memphis Net and Twine Co., Inc.
2481 Matthews Avenue
P.O.Box 8331, Memphis
Tennessee 38108, USA
Tel. 901-458-2656 or 1-800-238-6380
Fax 901-458-1601
Email: memnet@memphisnet.net
Website: www.memphisnet.net
Products: Ropes, spat bags and floats.
Nylon Net Company
845 N. Main Street
P.O.Box 592, Memphis
Tennessee 38101, USA
Tel. 901-526-6500 or 1-800-238-7529
Suppliers
Page 78
Fax 901-526-6538
Email: nylonnet@nylonnet.com
Website: www.nylonnet.com
Pacific Seafood Industries, Inc.
P.O. Box 2544
Santa Barbara, CA, 93120, USA
Tel: 805-687-8282
Fax 805-687-2024
Suppliers of shellfish farming equipment including ropes, floats, lantern baskets, pocket panels, spat
collection materials, etc.
Urban Marine Co., Ltd.
Nishi P.O. Box No. 185
Osaka, Japan
Tel. 6-543-0371
Fax 6-543-0373
Telex: 525-4557URBANMJ
Fire Mountain Gems
28195 Redwood Highway
Cave Junction, OR 97523-9304 USA
Tel: 800-423-2319
Fax: 800-292-3473
Products: jewelery making supplies
Kassoy
16 Midland Avenue
Hicksville, NY 11801, USA
Tel. 516-942-0560
Products: jewelery making supplies, pearl drills
Page 79
Bibliography
George, C.D. 1967. Techniques of pearl cultivation. South Pacific Bulletin 19(4): 13-19.
Gervis, M.H. and N.A. Sims. 1992. The biology and culture of pearl oysters (Bivalvia: Pteriidae).
ICLARM. Manila, Philippines. 49p.
Wada, K. 1973. Modern and Traditional methods of pearl culture. Underwater Journal 4: 28-33.
Bibliography
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