The effect of different culture methods on the quality of round pearls produced by the black-lip pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758)

This paper presents novel new information showing that grafted P. margaritifera cultured using panel nets produced pearls with fewer 'circles' and of higher quality and value than oysters cultured using chaplets. The potential benefits to pearl farmers of pearl production using panel nets compared to the more traditional chaplet-based system are clear and the results of this study support improved pearl quality and income for pearl farmers in the Pacific.