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Freshwater Pearl Culture and Production in China

Document format: pdf

Publisher: Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific

Creation date: March 2002

The occurrence of natural pearls in wild freshwater mussels is very rare. The technology of freshwater pearl culture was developed in China some 2,000 years ago. However, commercial freshwater pearl culture, dates back only to the late 1960s and early 1970s. Gradual changes in technology and, most importantly, in the type of mussel used, resulted in the production of greater quantities of larger and more lustrous round, near-round, and baroque cultured pearls with a variety of colors. Today there is a great demand for cultured freshwater pearls and China produces 95 percent of freshwater pearls sold in the world market. Studies on the increment of pearl quality, treatment of pearl mussel disease and the techniques for conducting nuclei and special pearl operations began in the Freshwater Fisheries Research Center (FFRC) in 1990. The successful demonstration of this technology led to the initiation of commercial farmed pearl culture in China. Over the past decade FFRC has also trained hundreds of people in freshwater pearl culture from 50-60 countries in the Asia-Pacific, African, Latin American and East European regions. In particular, FFRC specialists have successfully transferred the technology for pearl culture to Bangladesh with encouraging results - the first tiny pearls were developing after only two months of program operation.

Key Words: NACA • China • Freshwater Pearl • Freshwater Mussel • Pearl Production • Pearl Culture • FAO