Description

Several species of pearl oysters are found in Australian waters. The main pearling industry is based on the silver lipped pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima), which produces high quality cultured pearls known as South Sea pearls.

This species is found across the central Indo-Pacific region from India to New Guinea and the Philippines, and in Australia from Carnarvon on the west coast to south of Cairns on the east coast.

Other species farmed on a much smaller scale include the black-lipped pearl oyster (P. margaritifera), the shark bay pearl oyster (Pinctada albina), the Winged Oyster (Pteria penguin), and the akoya pearl oyster (Pinctada imbricata).

Pearl Culture Development

Western Australia is the main pearl producing state, followed by the Northern Territory.

Centered in Broome on the pristine Kimberley coast, the Western Australian pearling industry has operated since the 1880s, initially as a source of mother of pearl and since the 1950s as the highest quality producer of South Sea pearls. Pearl farms operate from Exmouth Gulf through to the Northern Territory border.

Initially based solely the fishing of wild stock oysters for the culturing of pearls, industry also produces oysters through hatchery technology suitable for the seeding of round pearls and placed, on pearl farms in the state�s productive northern tropical waters.

The Pinctada maxima wild stock pearl oyster fishery is managed on a system of individual quotas within a total allowable catch. There are 16 pearling licensees, who between them hold 572 units (1000 oysters per unit) in the wild stock fishery. The industry also operates a hatchery production quota of 350 hatchery units across the industry. Grow-out occurs on pearl farm leases, covering a total area of 184 square nautical miles.

Strong investment in R&D and constant technological advances ensures the P.maxima industry in Australia produces the highest quality cultured pearls in the world.

Each oyster can now be seeded at least three times during it�s productive life producing a pearl every two years.

While the majority basis of the pearling industry is based on Pinctada maxima, the culture of Pinctada albina in Shark Bay and Pteria penguin in the Pilbara region provides a diverse production base to the ­non-maxima� pearl industry in Western Australia.
There is also an emerging Black Pearl industry based on the production of Pinctada margartifer at the Abrolhos Islands and Shark Bay.

Trial harvests of black pearls from the Abrolhos Islands and shark bay pearl oysters have proven that product of acceptable quality can be produced and is readily sought in the market.

Overall, the gross value of P.maxima pearl production in Western Australia was estimated to be $150 million in 2000-01 and $175 million in 2001-02.

Based on discussion in the Northern Territory�s Strategic Plan for Fisheries Research and Development, 2002 revision, the gross value of P.maxima pearl production in the Northern Territory in 2000-01 was over $30 million.

Queensland produced around $490 000 worth of pearls in 2000-01 and $338 000 in 2003-04 (DPI 2003). Due to the small number of farms reporting in the past few years, more current production information cannot be disclosed for confidentiality reasons. The value of pearl production in Queensland has been relatively low for a number of years (for example, the gross value of pearl production in 1998-99 was $810 000). However, there has been some recent investment in the industry and production is expected to increase in the future.

NSW Fisheries is currently assessing the suitability of a number of sites for the culture of the akoya pearl oysters. The akoya pearl oyster is found in temperate climates and forms the basis of the pearling industry in Japan. Trial pearl harvests in Port Stephens have demonstrated that quality pearls can be produced in New South Wales.

(Pic 2 Photographer: Dr. John Supan, Louisiana State University)

( REF. Australian Aquaculture. Industry profiles for selected species)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

CLICK HERE FOR RELEVANT ASSOCIATIONS