Effect of different nucleus sizes and culture duration on the quality of half pearls (MABÉ) produced by the winged pearl oyster Pteria sterna (Gould, 1851) in Ecuador

Progress towards reestablishing Latin America as a major pearl producing region: A review

“…In Pt. sterna , higher success in mabé formation and quality were reported when low‐profile nuclei were used 20,21 (Figures 4a, 5a and 6a). For comparison, P. penguin is a larger species from the western Pacific that may receive two low‐profile and one high‐profile nuclei, 6,56,57 or four high‐profile nuclei without affecting mabé quality 61 …”

“…Thus, Pt. sterna can be implanted for mabé pearl production within the first year, which is a promising basis for future sector development 20,21 …”

“…Recently, baseline information on overall performance of Pt. sterna for mabé pearl production has been generated in Ecuador 20,21 . Evidence indicates that oysters implanted with 9–11 mm diameter nuclei (4 to 6 mm in profile) grew significantly faster and larger in shell height than those implanted with 14 mm diameter nuclei (13 mm profile), but they produced a thinner nacre coverage.…”

“…The potential for similar approaches to be adopted in Venezuela, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil is high for several reasons. First, native pearl oyster species have a wide distribution in both the Pacific and Atlantic‐Caribbean coasts, where pearls from these species are recognised for their high quality and value, like those produced by other members of the Pteriidae 19–21,55 . Second, the knowledge in some countries and for some species is abundant in relation to natural spatfall 26–29,32 and hatchery‐production of juveniles 37–41 .…”

“…For example, while P. mazatlanica was heavily fished in past centuries for the harvest of natural pearls on Pacific coasts, [15][16][17] Pt. sterna is now the only species currently utilised in the region to support routine production of multicolour, highly valued pearls at a commercial scale in Mexico 18,19 and at a pilot-scale in Ecuador 20,21 and Peru. 22 The main biological and ecological features of each of these species are summarised in Table 1.…”