Daley, 2005:

"These officials of the Queensland Government were not the only authorities to report on the decline of pearl-shell resources. In 1908, the Royal Commission investigation into the Queensland pearl-shell and bêche-de-mer fisheries acknowledged that, as old and full-grown pearl shell had become scarce, the industry had adapted in an attempt to sustain yields: size limits had been imposed, pump-diving had been introduced, the average vessel size had increased and shore-station systems and pearling fleets had appeared.  From 1890-1893, the statistics of the industry changed in the following ways: the number of boats increased from 92 to 210, the gross take of pearl shell take increased from 632 to 1,214 tons, but the available catch per boat decreased from 6 tons 17 cwt 1 qtr to 5 tons 15 cwt 2 qtr. Also, by 1893, a larger area was being fished for pearl-shell. Despite these changes, by 1894, the yield was stationary at 1,190 tons; by the following year the total harvest had fallen to 873 tons. By 1895, another source of pearl-shell had been found in Princess Charlotte Bay, but that resource was of inferior quality and may have contributed to a reduction in the market price for pearl-shell.

The Royal Commission collected anecdotal evidence of the decline in pearl oysters, using qualitative interviewing. The evidence suggested that the ‘shallow beds inshore and those in the intermediate neighbourhood of the Prince of Wales group were the first to show signs of having been over-fished.’  The causes of this depletion were thought to include the following eight reasons: (i) ignorance about the length of time required for pearl shell to mature, (ii) a belief that the supply was inexhaustible, (iii) the desire of pearl-shellers to raise as much shell as possible in the shortest space of time, (iv) the introduction of floating stations, which concentrated the work of the vessels, (v) excessive use of vessels, (vi) the introduction of many Asian divers, (vii) the lack of periodic closures of the fisheries, and (viii) the reduction in size limits, from 6 to 5 inches (nacre measurement). The Royal Commission concluded that the pearl-shell fishery was ‘suffering from severe depression, which has resulted mainly from depletion of natural supplies;’ consequently, urgent initiatives to cultivate the pearl oyster and to restrict the overseas labour force were required. 

Another investigation into the industry – the 1913 Commonwealth of Australia Royal Commission on the pearl-shelling industry – found that the pearl-shell fishery was still ‘capable, if systematically and scientifically conducted, of considerable development.’  Individual pearl-shell divers were rewarded for large harvests using a system of incentives; the average annual harvest per diver was between 6 and 7 tons, but divers were encouraged to take up to 10 tons each year, and successful divers received a higher salary per ton. This system resulted in a large increase in the total pearl-shell yields during the periods 1911-1913 and 1918-1929; the yields obtained during the latter period were never exceeded in Queensland.  From 1912-1918 the value of pearl-shell had risen from £92,576 to £168,000, while the value of pearls during the same period increased from £25,000 to £63,000.  Nevertheless, after 1927, the industry declined as a result of the scarcity of pearl oysters. Between 1930 and 1934, the pearl-shell harvest decreased sharply and, subsequently, only a moderate improvement in yields occurred; in an attempt by the Commonwealth Government to support the struggling industry, a grant of £1,500 was made in 1935 to the Queensland fishery. In 1936, Christesen wrote that the only remaining pearl-shell was found in deep-water beds, and Roughley wrote that, although the resource was still available in Torres Strait, pearl-shell was smaller and less abundant to the south of Cairns."

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Citation and/or URL

Daley, B. 2005, Changes in the Great Barrier Reef since European settlement: Implications for contemporary management, PhD edn, School of Tropical Environment Studies and Geography, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld, Australia  

Spatial Coverage

Great Barrier Reef-wide

Temporal Coverage

1800s and 1900s

Update Frequency

Not applicable 

Other Information

None