Hervey Bay Gossip

The famed and sought after Japanese Akoya pearl may soon be a major industry in Queensland, Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin said today as he officially launched the start of Queensland’s pearl harvesting season.

“Assisted by DPI&F expertise, Coral Sea Pearls Pty Ltd has established a pilot scale 20-hectare Akoya pearl farming site in HerveyBay which aims to fill the lucrative Akoya pearl market,” Mr Mulherin said.

“The Akoya pearl is highly regarded in the jewellery markets of Japan, China and Korea but disease and pollution in the Japanese pearl farming industry have dramatically reduced Akoya pearl production over the past 10 years.

“In the past few years the Japanese production of these highly desirable pearls has fallen to just 10 percent of its reported production a decade ago.”

Dave Williams, owner of Coral Sea Pearls, said that while it was disappointing for Japan it provided Queensland aquaculture with a wonderful opportunity to grow large Akoya pearls on a commercial scale.

“The Coral Sea Pearls aquaculture project has been developed in conjunction with DPI&F to promote scientifically some of the strictest environmentally sustainable aquaculture practices in the world to protect the pristine environment of the GreatSandyStraits,” Mr Williams said.

“The waters of HerveyBay and the GreatSandyStraits provide and ideal environment for the growth of large (>7mm) Akoya pearls.

“Pearl oysters grown in HerveyBay are of exceptional quality because of the excellent water quality and temperature and the unique combination of marine and estuarine waters that exist in the middle of the SandyStraits.”

Mr Mulherin said the innovative project aimed to be able to market 500,000 pearls, meat and shell products potentially creating $15 to $20million in export revenue for Queensland.

“This is an excellent example of the DPI&F assisting primary industries to increase productivity, develop markets and strengthen business adaptability,” Mr Mulherin said.

Member for Hervey Bay Andrew McNamara said the project also was developing jobs in the farming, harvesting, processing and manufacturing sector that will ensure maximum benefit to the HerveyBay community.

“As well as the processing and manufacturing industries which spring from this initiative, the pearl industry is already adding to the area’s eco-tourism market with at least one charter boat already conducting pearl farm eco-tours out of both Hervey Bay and Bundaberg,” Mr McNamara said.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 30th, 2006 at 12:18 pm and is filed under Hervey Bay Industries, General News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.