The black-lip pearl oyster, pinctada margaritifera, is the source of rare, valuable black pearls. culture of this species has proven highly lucrative in french polynesia, with strengthening worldwide demand. the hawaiian sub-species, p. margaritifera galtsoffi, is on the hawaii state endangered… More

The successful development of reliable, large-scale, hatchery techniques for the hawaiian black-lip pearl oyster now opens up the potential for black pearl farming in new areas across the pacific. efficient, cost-effective, grow-out techniques need to be devised for the high-energy marine conditions… More

The U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands are extremely isolated rural communities, with limited opportunities, and attendant socio-economic ailments. The best opportunity for sustainable economic development is lucrative black pearl farming. This offers great potential, but wild oysters are scarce, and… More

Not Available The U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands are extremely isolated rural communities, with limited opportunities, and attendant socio-economic ailments. The best opportunity for sustainable economic development is lucrative black pearl farming. This offers great potential, but wild oysters are… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will identify commercially-important genes in Pinctada margaritifera as targets for future manipulation in order to improve the efficiency and profitability of black pearl farming. This work will also attempt to produce transgenic pearl… More

Pearl culture is the most lucrative aquaculture industry in the Pacific Islands, and is an ideal development activity for remote, otherwise-impoverished atolls. Commercial farmers in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands must be hatchery-based, offering opportunity for value-added improvements from… More

Triploidy offers an excellent opportunity for increased profitability and competitiveness of hatchery-based pearl farming in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands and Hawaii, for little additional cost. Techniques developed in Phase I for inducing triploidy in black-lip pearl oysters (Pinctada… More

Triploidy offers an excellent opportunity for increased profitability and competitiveness of hatchery-based pearl farming in the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands and Hawaii, for little additional cost. Techniques developed in Phase I for inducing triploidy in black-lip pearl oysters (Pinctada… More

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The color of nacre is one of the most significant criteria in determining the value of a pearl. Nacre color is due to both schemochromic phenomena and biochromes (pigments). The vast majority of pearl farm profits comes from the small percentage of pearls that have a perfect… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop the technology to produce faster growing oysters that yield bigger and higher quality pearls than those currently available. Prior Phase I work has already shown the production of the first-ever verifiable transgenic pearl… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop the technology to produce faster growing oysters that yield bigger and higher quality pearls than those currently available. Prior Phase I work has already shown the production of the first-ever verifiable transgenic pearl… More