While the Australian pearl industry is based on the silverlip pearl oyster Pinctada maxima, there is increasing interest in pearl production from other species. One such species is the akoya pearl oyster, Pinctada imbricata, which is abundant in Australian waters.
In July 1998, researchers at NSW Fisheries, Port Stephens Research Centre began investigations into the possibility of establishing a pearl industry in Port Stephens, an industry based on the Akoya pearl oyster, Pinctada imbricata.
Interest in the possibility of farming Akoya oysters in NSW has been shown for several years. However, extensive surveys of the NSW coast indicated that there were insufficient oysters to permit gathering from the wild. To overcome the shortage of oysters and to commence trial farming, NSW Fisheries signed a memorandum of understanding with a pearl farming company ‘Australian Radiata’, who have a wealth of farming experience in both Australia and Japan.
Port Stephens, 200 km north of Sydney, was chosen for farming because it is among the best waterways in Australia for temperate shellfish farming owing to its fortunate combination of a suitable temperature range, lack of pollution, and expanse of sheltered, well-flushed and relatively deep waters. Further, Port Stephens offered the facilities of NSW Fisheries, Port Stephens Research Centre, with its extensive experience in the production of new aquaculture species.
Together, scientists from NSW Fisheries and representatives of Australian Radiata devised a research program with three major goals: first, to elucidate the biology of the Akoya oyster in NSW, focusing in particular on species distribution, growth rates in NSW estuaries and reproductive biology; second, to establish techniques for reliable hatchery production of spat in NSW to preclude the need for collecting oysters from the wild; finally, to construct experimental farms in Port Stephens so that the viability of farming can be tested and any potential environmental impacts can be assessed.
Within a year of the programme's inception, work is well under way. Four experimental leases with a total area of 28 ha have been obtained to allow farming in different areas of Port Stephens. Oysters have been deployed at these sites so that growth and survival can be monitored. Sampling to follow growth and reproduction in the wild Akoya population has been underway for 11 months and settlement collectors have been deployed in order that natural recruitment can be followed. In the hatchery, oysters have been brought into reproductive condition and induced to spawn. More than 2.5 million spat have been produced, enabling farming trials to begin.

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.

As the exclusive agent of Akoya producer Australian Radiata Pty Ltd in New South Wales in Australia, Teishin unveiled Australia Akoya pearls to the market under the brand "Pristine Pearl" in March this year. The majority are 7mm and the largest are 10mm, and they are mainly made into graduated necklaces. Since production is at the trial stage and remains small, the pearls are sold only at the company's Contessa-Mia showroom in Kobe, but it is starting to promote the product overseas, executive director at Teishin, Yoshiaki Kita, said

Abrolhos Black Magic

SPC Pearl Oyster Information Bulletin #14 – December 2003

The evolution of an aquaculture industry from which the mystery, romanticism and beauty of the pearl is born, is unfolding in the sheltered, clear waters off the Abrolhos. Abrolhos Pearls, owned by Alf and Don Woodcock and Murray Davidson, are pioneering the development of the unique black colored pearl in Western Australia. Alf Woodcock started his affinity with the sea as a cray fisherman spending over 40 years fishing off and living on the Islands. Mr. Woodcock and his partners laid the foundation for the black pearls in Western Australia, seven years ago when they took the first step to survey the Islands. “To see what shell was out there, to see whether it was worthwhile starting an industry"." We searched the whole Island group for pearl shell, discovering five species, the one thought the most promising was the black,” Mr. Woodcock said. “We knew they were there from the early days when we were cray fishing, they were around the lagoon where we had our camp, but we never had the time or the finances or expertise to do any-thing about it." Using divers and looking on the shallow reefs the search took about three years, in between doing other work. Mr Woodcock said there were many challenges in getting started. “We didn’t know what we were doing in the early years". They invited visitors from around the world who had experience with black pearls and have been adapting world technology for the Abrolhos environment. After experimenting with producing black pearl from black lipped oyster shell caught from the wild, the Abrolhos pearling venture realized that to be economically viable and to increase control of the pearl quality, the oyster shell stock needed to be hatchery produced. When the juveniles reach the size of a pea they are taken off the ropes and placed in pockets in the panels. The panels are attached to long lines in the clear ocean waters at the pearl farm, located off Pelsaert Island. Only an oyster species which occurs naturally in an area can be farmed in that area. The shells need cleaning every month, using a cleaning machine to remove the barnacles and sea-grass. “One feature about the black pearl oyster is you get about five different colors of pearls – bronze ,black, silver, pink, you can even get the white ones,” Mr. Woodcock said. Every part of the oyster is usable with the meat being sold as an aphrodisiac to Asia, the shell polished and even scrap shell is used to add shine to paint and in cosmetics. Although still very much in the development stage, Mr. Woodcock said it was a very exciting project. “We have been out there for a long time and haven’t produced anything. It has taken a longtime to get the formula right to grow the spats from the hatchery and then to get the right time of the year to seed them, to find the right size nuclei –the formula has been everything.” Abrolhos Pearls has had their first pearls crafted into earnings and a necklace by Verity Jewelers. These are the first black pearls to be produced in Western Australia. They have only matured for seven months and were from experimental shell caught from the wild. Verity Jewelers’ owner Glenn Lake said they were very excited about these first black pearls from the Abrolhos. “If the color of these pearls are any indication of what’s to come then the local pearling industry shows a lot of promise. Soon, Abrolhos Pearls, one of two pearls farms at the Islands, will take an exciting leap forward, preparing to seed their first crop of 25,000 black lipped hatchery produced pearls.

Source: The West Australian

Akoya

While the Australian pearl industry is based on the silverlip pearl oyster Pinctada maxima, there is increasing interest in pearl production from other species. One such species is the akoya pearl oyster, Pinctada imbricata, which is abundant in Australian waters.

In July 1998, researchers at NSW Fisheries, Port Stephens Research Centre began investigations into the possibility of establishing a pearl industry in Port Stephens, an industry based on the Akoya pearl oyster, Pinctada imbricata.

Interest in the possibility of farming Akoya oysters in NSW has been shown for several years. However, extensive surveys of the NSW coast indicated that there were insufficient oysters to permit gathering from the wild. To overcome the shortage of oysters and to commence trial farming, NSW Fisheries signed a memorandum of understanding with a pearl farming company ‘Australian Radiata’, who have a wealth of farming experience in both Australia and Japan.

Port Stephens, 200 km north of Sydney, was chosen for farming because it is among the best waterways in Australia for temperate shellfish farming owing to its fortunate combination of a suitable temperature range, lack of pollution, and expanse of sheltered, well-flushed and relatively deep waters. Further, Port Stephens offered the facilities of NSW Fisheries, Port Stephens Research Centre, with its extensive experience in the production of new aquaculture species.

Together, scientists from NSW Fisheries and representatives of Australian Radiata devised a research program with three major goals: first, to elucidate the biology of the Akoya oyster in NSW, focusing in particular on species distribution, growth rates in NSW estuaries and reproductive biology; second, to establish techniques for reliable hatchery production of spat in NSW to preclude the need for collecting oysters from the wild; finally, to construct experimental farms in Port Stephens so that the viability of farming can be tested and any potential environmental impacts can be assessed.

Within a year of the programme's inception, work is well under way. Four experimental leases with a total area of 28 ha have been obtained to allow farming in different areas of Port Stephens. Oysters have been deployed at these sites so that growth and survival can be monitored. Sampling to follow growth and reproduction in the wild Akoya population has been underway for 11 months and settlement collectors have been deployed in order that natural recruitment can be followed. In the hatchery, oysters have been brought into reproductive condition and induced to spawn. More than 2.5 million spat have been produced, enabling farming trials to begin.

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.

As the exclusive agent of Akoya producer Australian Radiata Pty Ltd in New South Wales in Australia, Teishin unveiled Australia Akoya pearls to the market under the brand "Pristine Pearl" in March this year. The majority are 7mm and the largest are 10mm, and they are mainly made into graduated necklaces. Since production is at the trial stage and remains small, the pearls are sold only at the company's Contessa-Mia showroom in Kobe, but it is starting to promote the product overseas, executive director at Teishin, Yoshiaki Kita, said