Pearl Fishery Industry

Abstract

Geographically, the Gulf of Mannar was one of the most abundant sources of natural pearls in the world for more than two millennia. Pearls were the most valuable aquatic resource in Sri Lanka and were exploited since ancient times, more than 3500 years time.Under the right conditions, millions upon millions of pearl-producing bi-valve molluscs Pinctada genus of saltwater oysters (mainly Pinctada radiata and Pinctada fucata) populated the low-lying shoals and rock and coral formations of the Gulf of Mannar (Ostroff 2016). But some historical and archaeological evidences extend more than two millennia, because Sri Lanka known as the pearl of the Indian Ocean. Owing to that, Sri Lanka is a wondrous island, because it’s endowed plethora of resources such as an abundant biodiversity, gemstone, rich culture, great history, varied landscapes and many more. The pearl beds of South India and Sri Lanka constituted one of the two major sources of pearls in the world, rivalled in size only by that of Hainan. The pearls fished from the Gulf of Mannar were also considered among the best in the world and fetched a high price in Europe. The exploitation of pearl fisheries continued during the Dutch and the British colonial rule. The British earned considerable revenue from pearls of Ceylon, e.g from March 1828 to May 1837 alone Sterling Pounds 227,131 were credited as revenue into the Ceylon Treasury on account of the pearl fisheries. The pearling industry is all extinct today