Philippine Pearl Farming

Papua New Guinea

Oyster farming on the go in Samarai

PEARL oyster farming in Milne Bay waters is showing good results, Inland and Aquaculture manager at the National Fisheries Authority Jacob Wani said yesterday.

Mr Wani said: "The environmental condition in Samarai is good" and pearling operations conducted by Coral Sea Mari-culture (PNG) Ltd (CSMS) is "doing well".

"It’s nothing like they’ve ever seen elsewhere and it’s a plus for Papua New Guinea because the hatchery is producing more than enough," Mr Wani said.

CSMC has successfully spawned pearl oysters under hatchery conditions on Samarai Island. Using a total of 60 mature gold lip and black lip pearl oysters (40 females and 20 males), the company produced 100 million fertilised eggs in March last year.

Of these, four million survived to the spat stage or development stage and were settled onto polyethylene fibres and placed out in the lagoonal area around Pearl Island in Samarai.
“Development of the pearl hatchery in Samarai means availability of sufficient oysters for other farms to spring up,” said Mr Wani. “And the environmental condition on Samarai is very conducive. The pristine environment there is second to none in the world.”

Nursery manager, Colin Jarrik said spat placed out at sea are doing exceptionally well and mortality is negligible.

"Their growth rate has been found to be much faster than their siblings reared in the hatchery using artificially cultured life feed (micro algae).

"This is encouraging news for PNG pearl culture industry as most often wild spat collection at potential sites is often limited and unpredictable.

Already interested potential and existing farmers from other parts of PNG are understood to have approached CSMC about the possibility of obtaining spat for culture purposes.

Currently pearling operations are also taking place at Daru and Kavieng at a lower level.