Pearl Farming Pivoting in Fijii!

Very interesting article on how pearl farmers are coping in a world where the demand for luxury goods is lessening.

Click here to READ IT.

One of the points that are considered in this article is:

Programs, such as the oyster and pearl farming project, were impacted because of declining sales of products. "Round pearls are luxury items and people are not in the mood to be thinking about luxury during COVID and sales really plummeted”.

 

Wow, that is interesting! Now you can get a pearl on your plate with dinner? Did I understand that correctly?

 

Wow, that is interesting! Now you can get a pearl on your plate with dinner? Did I understand that correctly?

That's how I read it too. Very odd.

 

I read it as using the pearl meat instead? As they talk about food safety, and growing the oyster smaller as it is a quicker process. Interesting read though!

 

"So with the pearls and oysters, we had one such idea where instead of growing a pearl for big size to actually grow the pearl to a smaller size, about the size of a scallop."

That's what threw me. But it makes more sense to just be raising the oysters to a smaller size, and not placing a nucleus in them.

I wonder if this is what Justin Hunter is going to do?

 

My friend César Lodeiros of Venezuela (he was very much involved in pearl farming in that country until he had to leave and is now the "spearpoint" behind the nascent pearl industry in Ecuador) said that this was the winning strategy for Venezuela: local people could not afford high quality pearls but would pay for food...and they loved the baby pearl oysters (a local staple) on the shell.
He actually made me eat a whole small Pinctada just so I could see it was tasty (and it was, surprisingly), so the farmer gets continued income instead of waiting YEARS until they can harvest.
It is smart, if you have the "seafood market" behind you.

 

Hello All,
I am Karishma from Mauritius. Infact i am interested to do pearl harvesting in my country and for this i need someone to help/guide me.
Someone can help??

 

Hello Karisma, and welcome to our forum!

Are you interested in pearl farming or in natural pearl fisheries? First thing ever is to check if your country/area has the resource available and if it is legal to use it for fishery or farming.
Then...you need to secure some funds for your early trials and experimentation.