Reproduction, culture and growth of the winged pearl oyster, Pteria penguin

The winged pearl oyster Pteria penguin is traditionally used for production of mabé pearls i.e. half spherical pearls in Asia and the West Pacific. Although Pteria penguin occurs naturally in tropical Australian waters, and is cultured on a small scale on farms in Queensland and Western Australia, further expansion is hindered by a lack of knowledge of the reproductive biology of the species, as well as appropriate culture methods and suitable environmental conditions for optimal growth.

Commercial production of pearl oysters involves management of a series of stages in the life cycle Beginning with analysis and understanding of the biology of the breeding cycle, viable spat (juveniles) are produced. The juveniles are then reared through nursery and then grow out culture until they are ready for nuclei implantation and pearl harvesting. Each of these stages requires adequate research to optimise procedures for each stage of the production cycle.

This project has three main components:

• Analysis of reproductive biology (sexual development, spawning cycle) and spat recruitment patterns;

• Testing relative efficiency of nursery culture techniques for rearing early and late juveniles;

• Analysis of growth of Pteris penguin in relation to site-specific environmental conditions (water temperature, food availability, salinity, turbidity), and use of growth modelling and study of allometric relationships.

Half pearl production for high quality jewellery and for use in handicrafts has considerable potential in providing livelihoods for coastal communities in developing countries. This project is conducted as part of a larger project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Research conducted at JCU will assist further development of cultured pearl production in the Pacific islands with particular focus on Tonga

Contact persons: michael.milione@jcu.edu.au and paul.southgate@jcu.edu.au.