Stimulating investment in pearl farming in ... - World Fish Center

least two weeks before the main survey took place. At each, village meetings were heldto inform people of the study, to ask permission to work in customary waters and toconduct interviews regarding historical distribution of pearl oysters, likely currentdistribution (and, hence prospective sampling sites) and occurrence of any recent orongoing exploitation. During each interview, the study team sought to have at least oneperson present who could speak/translate between Pidgin and the local dialect and onescientist from the survey team who was fluent in Pidgin and English. A questionnairewas used to structure the interviews and a minimum of five local people who expressedpersonal experience of pearl oyster fishing were interviewed. At each location, threesites were identified on the basis of fisher feedback that were most likely to yield highnumbers of shell.WaghinaKiaTelinaMboliSandlfyMbiliMaramaskeMarauFigure 5. Sites selected for white-lip pearl oyster survey.Communities at all eight locations were easily able to identify three or more sites wheremany oysters should be found. As will be seen later when we report results, not allcommunities were accurate in this regard. The replies to questionnaires, however, showedthat even at the height of the mother-of-pearl industry, the pearl oyster was a substantialcontribution to community income only at Kia and Waghina. These two locations10