Exploitation and Culture of Major Commercial Species

Development and function of pearl-sacs grown from regenerated mantle graft tissue in the black-lip pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758)

“…There is limited information relating to the rate of nacre deposition in P. margaritifera and how it might vary during the pearl culture period. In French Polynesia, pearls must have a minimum nacre thickness of 0.8 mm, after a culture period of 18e24 months, to be permitted for export [25]. The thickness of nacre deposited by pearl-sacs that developed from both normal and regenerated mantle tissue in this study (up to 0.65 mm) was surprising over the relatively short culture period of three months.…”

Does the quality of cultured pearls from the black-lip pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera, improve after the second graft?

“…After the grafting operation, saibo tissue proliferates to form a pearl-sac, which envelopes the nucleus, and nacre secreting epithelial cells from the pearl-sac begin to deposit nacre onto the nucleus (Cochennec-Laureau et al, 2010;Dix, 1972;Kishore and Southgate, 2015;Scoones, 1996;Taylor and Strack, 2008). For the black-lip pearl oyster, Pinctada margaritifera, a culture period of approximately 18 months is required before a commercially acceptable nacre thickness of 0.35-0.8 mm (Haws, 2002;Matlins, 2002;Ruiz-Rubio et al, 2006;Southgate et al, 2008) is achieved and the resulting cultured pearl is ready to be harvested.…”

Regeneration of excised mantle tissue by the silver-lip pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima (Jameson)

“…Given the predominance of the sector of the pearling industry that relies on P. maxima [2] and the potential benefits to it, this study describes the regeneration process of mantle tissue from P. maxima.…”

“…This species produces large and very valuable South Sea pearls which are cultivated predominantly in South East Asia and northern Australia [2,3]. They are now the dominant sector of the cultured pearl industry making up around 46 percent of total marine cultured pearl production [2].…”

“…Pinctada maxima (Jameson) is one of four major pearl oyster species utilised by the cultured pearl industry for pearl production [1,2]. This species produces large and very valuable South Sea pearls which are cultivated predominantly in South East Asia and northern Australia [2,3].…”