FEW BLACK PEARL OYSTERS FOUND AT PEARL AND HERMES REEF

After four and a half days of diving the waters at Pearl and Hermes Atoll, few black-lip pearl oysters were seen within the lagoon waters. Enormous beds of these large pearl oysters were once found around the atoll. The lack of oysters appears to be an unfortunate sign that even after nearly 70 years of no harvesting, the species has been unable to recover on its own.

These pearl oysters, which yield mother-of-pearl shells, were first discovered at the atoll in 1928 by Captain William Anderson of the Lanikai Fishing Company. The black-lip oyster pearls were heavily fished upon their discovery, and within 3 years, 150 tons of oyster shells had already been removed and shipped to button makers in San Francisco.

Concerned about the fishery and whether the population could sustain such heavy harvesting, the Hawaiian Territorial Government, under the advice of the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, passed an Act in May 1929 making it unlawful to take pearl oysters in Hawaiian waters. The Territorial Government also appropriated money to commission an expedition in 1930 to search for the oyster beds. Only 480 oysters were found.

Interestingly, the Bureau of Fisheries also recommended a prohibition of commercial fishing for at least five years and suggested the establishment of a pearl oyster reserve for transplantation and cultivation of these oysters. Unfortunately, it was too late, and by 1969, only one oyster was found.

This ecological example demonstrates how once a species is over-harvested to the point where there aren't enough adults left to provide a critical mass of spawning stock, a species may never be able to recover from over-harvesting.

Some scientists believe that the answer to restoration of the species lies in aquaculture and have proposed a reintroduction of the black pearl oyster to Pearl and Hermes. A few years ago, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the University of Hawaii proposed a $100,000 'reseeding' project to reintroduce oyster 'spat' or larvae to the area. According to their proposal, natural regeneration hasn't occurred because the overfishing in the late 1920's nearly extirpated the species. They suggest that natural regeneration hasn't occurred because of a lack of suitable substrate for the oysters to grow on. This particular species grows largely on other oysters.

Other scientists are skeptical about this proposal and fear that a reintroduction of the species could also bring an introduction of disease to the Atoll that aside from the lack of oysters, is considered to be relatively pristine.

For now, lack of funding and lack of necessary permits have put any reseeding project on hold. After this visit to Pearl and Hermes Atoll by scientists aboard both the Rapture and the Townsend Cromwell, dialogue about what to do about the oysters is sure to continue.

Black Pearl Oyster no
longer in abundance at
Pearl and Hermes Atoll

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