Bart Bear's Blog

Pearls are pretty things. Mum likes them a lot. It takes a lot of effort on the part of the people who farm them, and I guess a bit of effort from the oyster as well. Actually, Mum and the pearl farmers do pretty well from the process but the poor old oyster gets a rough deal. Here we are at the harvesting shed of Fiji Pearls farm in Savusavu bay. A series of oysters have been opened on the table to show how the colours of the shells can be different. You get different coloured pearls by using little bits of the shell as the "seed" when you start a pearl growing inside an oyster. The seed is inserted inside the gonads of the oyster; I don't quite understand that or why Dad winces every time it is mentioned. You can see a clean pearl on the green bag, and one waiting to be taken out of the oyster on the right. Scruff and I were fascinated by the way that the guy opening the oysters never sliced his fingers. And yes, it stinks inside the harvesting shed.

Labels: Captain Cook, cruising, Fiji