Our last day in the Acteon group with the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, representing iLCP, my assistant Megan and I were able to photograph the turquoise waters where Tahiti’s famous black pearls are grown. Pearls come in a rainbow of colors, but Gambier has the reputation for the finest pearls in French Polynesia and a distinct blue-green shade.
One of the Tahitian free divers retrieving an oyster filled screen.
It was a vigorous start to the morning with Dominique Devaux, the head manager for GIE POE O RIKITEA teaching us about the pearl farm industry. Starting with the freedivers amid the labyrinth of pearl lines to pull in oyster baskets, it was an amazing experience photographing the task – underwater. After years hanging in the water column, filter feeding on the plankton, and secreting a shiny compound called nacre, the pearls inside these bivalves were ready to be harvested.
A delighted group of pearl free divers. Amazing young men.
Flashback to oysters’ young lives: A spat, at one year old (science’s word for oyster baby) is ready to be seeded. The shell is pried open with a special wooden wedge peg in order to reach inside for graphing. The oyster is alive (and hopefully will stay that way) so opening the shell as little as possible and swift skillful handling are essential.
Quick and gentle opening of the oyster is essential.
A technician slides a small square of mantle tissue, muscle from a donor oyster with great color, and a small nodule (called a nucleus) into the oyster body. You could easily hire these Tahitian women in any dentist office across America after seeing how precisely they move big sharp metal tools in tiny places!
A technician implants the nucleus that will be the base for the pearl.
Oysters plop back into the water for the waiting game. It will take 45 days before managers will know if the oyster accepted the graph and another year or two before the pearl is ready for harvest. Graphing is a highly developed skill so technicians label their batches of work and are evaluated individually on how many quality pearls are produced each cycle.
In the wild only about 1 in 2000 oysters are growing a pearl inside. Pearl farming has upped the odds and satisfied the global market. Working as a pearl technician is a college-trainable position and farms are a backbone to the Tahitian economy particularly in remote island chains like Gambier. Without pesticides, antibiotics, fish-food spillover or heavy nutrient influx, pearl farming is a very low impact aquaculture practice. Culturally the black pearl is an icon of French Polynesia and an ocean fashion statement you can wear proudly as a symbol of healthy ocean stewardship on a homegrown level.
The result of an oyster’s life on the farm held by one of the lovely technicians. Beautiful tattoo!
Just remember to thank the whole team of oysters who chipped in on your layered strands, as an oyster will only produce 1-3 pearls in its lifetime!
At least when I awoke at 5:00 AM the following morning, I had little if any residual effects from the night before. It was a good thing because we were on our way to hike into the Kalajun Ecological Region. After two hours of walking I decided to get a “rent-a-horse” from one of the local Kazakh. These little horses might appear scrawny but they certainly were sure footed in the rocky terrain. Arriving to the meadows to see the majesty of the mountains and flower-filled prairies, it’s no wonder the local land owners have applied to make this territory a UNESCO World Heritage site. I admire the people and leaders of the territory for turning down offers from major mining and oil companies with the promise of riches to protect the environmental beauty of the area. Kalajun is a Kazakh word meaning “black fertile and vast prairie”. There were at least 50 photographers there to capture the beauty of the wildflowers and snow-covered mountains. Leaving the meadows and vast prairie areas, we had enough time to stop at a Kazakh camp of herders. They live in yurts that are colorfully decorated with tapestry and pillows inside. Our hosts shared with us some songs and music on an ancient string instrument called a dombra. The songs were actually a banter back and forth between a young man and woman beginning their courtship.
