Chinese pearl production pics

Hm... and sheer quantity of both pearls and shells is what stood out to me. I mean, it is one thing to know there are hundreds of tons of freshwater pearls produced each year, another to see the assembly-line aquaculture operations involved.


As for carnage, well.... you put them live in the pot, right? :D

image.jpg



No brainer what my lunch is going to be today :p

(and yes, I know how the rotten piles of shells stink to high heaven :eek: - from the dragging operations on the Black Sea shore and the lakes nearby. )
 
Valeria101 said:
As for carnage, well.... you put them live in the pot, right?
Click to expand...

Hi Ana,

No, not me. And even if I was the type to eat fleshy things, no way would I eat water filterers and bottom feeders No thanks, I'll pass on the toxins. Enjoy your lunch though.

Slraep
 
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Josh said:
Oh yeah: fair trade?
Click to expand...

Non-financial entry barrier? Good for the planet, good for 'the poor'... good for me too ;)
Isn't it easy to represent the plight of the mute ? Distant men, the animals far and near, Nature, the clouds... other planets... A good fight many find rewarding. For some reason, I've got lots and lots of catching up to do with the humanitarian consumerism of nowadays.
 
Such heady thoughts, Valeria. Can't solve the world's problems, working on my own little corner.

Did anyone happen to see the comments posted at the end of the article? It appears someone else did take a gander at those photos, Slraep. But I don't recall them being posted. (And the answer is, yes, I always sit through the credits at the end of the movie, too.)
 
i always wonder about what happened to the molluscs after their pearls are harvested... i just assumed they were eaten... maybe not?

don't we use them as food? are they not edible? oh, i am a bit upset now... (since i just stopped eating shark's fins and foie gras - don't ask). i hope they do not have pain receptors? no central nervous system? as in, no brain?
 
Pearlpunk, we eat the muscle of our oysters when we harvest them and I know they eat South Sea oyster muscles too. The other pearl producing species I don't know too much about.
Sure oysters feel pain, we can't bs ourselves about that. As a farmer though, I can tell you that there are many steps in the process that can be done in a way that is gentle on the oysters. Tahitian pearls for example, are not the product of a single harvest on an oyster. The oystser is not killed after the first pearl is pulled out but instead re-grafted to produce a second pearl. In my farm we even do it a third time and have done as many as four operations on the same oyster. For oysters to produce beautiful pearls they need to be kept at an ideal depth for feeding, they need to be cleaned regularly of parasites, they are spaced out for optimum oxygen intake... the list goes on.
As far as Tahitian pearls go there is little reason be upset.
 
Hi Pearlpunk,

Freshwater mussels are not eaten, they are recycled as animal feed. They don't have a brain like we have but they know what they are doing. Which is much more than I can say about some politicians.

They know what discomfort is. They are alive and not a cute rock like some people think. They eat, sleep, defend themselves and mate.

You are not alone in avoiding foie gras and shark's fin.

Slraep
 
ah. at least the whole thing is consumed. thanks josh and slraep for that info.

i still remember what my primary school teacher said, the whole animal must be used/consumed for it not to be sinful.

and now, i add an additional personal criteria: they shouldn't suffer in the process. and then of course, in my mind i have the idea of degree of suffering. but who am i kidding. unless i can personally inspect all farms, unless i am willing to turn vegetarian... i love leather, i eat meat, and i just recently fell in love with pearls.... not being a rich lady of leisure and having weakness for large pearls, i can only afford freshwater ones.... :(
 
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pearlpunk said:
i still remember what my primary school teacher said, the whole animal must be used/consumed for it not to be sinful.
Click to expand...


That's interesting! Any particular religion involved, or was it the teacher's personal belief ?
 
i think the teacher meant it in an ethical sense. i grew up in a society where atheism was illegal and i think culturally spiritual beliefs were imbeded in its fabric so much so that lingo like "god" and "sin" were interspersed in such a natural way that somehow it ceased to imply religious doctrine (sorry for the long answer! :D ). i think that is such a better route than the religious all or nothing fundamentalism often found today. so sad. let's not go there!
 
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